Why a “paper” issue can kill a pitch
When you’re booked for a popular weekend, one expired document (or a missing training record) can wipe out the revenue you were counting on. Compliance delays often happen because the essentials for trading are scattered across emails, folders, and staff onboarding notes—so they can’t be produced fast enough on request.
At pitch time, you want to be able to show evidence for:
- the business is registered/authorised to trade
- you’re permitted to trade in each specific area
- everyone handling food has appropriate training
- you have safe systems in place (e.g., HACCP documentation where required)
- safety and insurance documents are current
The operator checklist: items that commonly decide “can we trade?”
Use a fast pre-pitch audit to confirm you have (and can evidence) the following:
- Council registration / food business registration (registered with your local council)
- Street trading licence/consent for every council area you trade in
- Food hygiene training for every person handling food
- ensure records are held and up to date
- A written HACCP plan
- Gas safety certificate if you use gas appliances (current within required timeframes, commonly within the last 12 months)
- Portable electrical equipment (PAT) testing if you use portable electrical equipment (within required timeframes, commonly within the last 12 months)
- Public liability insurance (commonly minimum £5 million cover, where required by organisers)
- Employers’ liability insurance if you employ anyone
- Fire extinguisher inspection certificate (in date)
- Food Hygiene Rating where relevant to your operating requirements (for example, meeting any threshold set by a venue or organiser)
What to do this week (2 concrete takeaways)
1) Run a “go/no-go” compliance check, then fix by expiry date
Don’t try to perfect everything in one weekend. Instead:
- Identify the lowest-scoring or missing items from your checklist
- Prioritise fast wins with clear expiry dates first, typically:
- PAT testing
- gas safety
- fire extinguisher inspections
- insurance certificates
- Then address permissions that are location-specific:
- licensing/consent for the exact council area(s)
- Finally, shore up your training and documentation trail:
- food hygiene training records
- access to your HACCP plan
2) Build a “pitch-day evidence pack” for staffing swaps
Summer trading often means last-minute cover. The weak point is usually not the cooking—it’s whether you can prove who handled food and whether they’re trained.
Prepare one folder (digital and/or printed) containing:
- Food business registration confirmation
- Street trading licence/consent evidence per council area
- HACCP plan (written)
- Training certificates/records for everyone handling food
- Gas safety certificate (if applicable)
- PAT testing evidence
- Public liability insurance
- Employers’ liability insurance (if applicable)
- Fire extinguisher inspection certificate
- Food Hygiene Rating evidence (and confirm any organiser/venue threshold is met)
Keep it compliant beyond summer
Regulators and local council enforcement vary by area, but the principle is consistent: you must be able to demonstrate compliance quickly at the point of trading. If you’re unsure where to start, begin with your local council and enforcement guidance, and keep your records organised so renewals don’t become a last-minute scramble.
Bottom line
Use your compliance checklist as a fast pre-pitch “go/no-go” audit focused on what matters at the moment you trade: registration, council permissions, food hygiene training, HACCP, safety certificates, and insurance—plus any Food Hygiene Rating requirement set by the organiser.