If you wish to sell anything (as long as it’s permitted and legal) on the street you need a licence. We are the licensing authority.
If you want to find out about trading in a market, go to our market trading and licences page.
What is street trading?
You are street trading if you show, offer, sell or provide goods on public highways such as roads, pavements, footpaths and certain other areas such as private forecourts (areas in front of shops).
So, for example, if you trade on a private forecourt in front of a shop and your trade is not the trade of the shop owner or does not form part of the business of the shop owner, you will need a licence.
There are other activities which count as street trading, such as:
- Handing out of leaflets and flyers, advertising goods for sale or services
- Human advertising (such as persons wearing billboards, holding placards and so on).
If you want to trade on the street in Newham, you must have a licence. If you trade without a licence we can take action against you or your business.
You do not need a licence for leafleting or human advertising if you are a charity, or political or religious group and the advertising is not for profit or business purposes.
