A MEETING will take place next week to discuss removing fees for traders using a lay-by near Crook.

Members of Durham County Council’s General Licensing and Registration Committee will meet on Thursday, January 15, to discuss the Collier Wood lay-by on the A68 after a trader said the £2,000-a-year fees are unreasonable.

Chris Pounder, owner of Breaktime Catering, said the rent of £197 a month is unfair as the majority of traders using lay-bys in County Durham don’t have to pay anything.

Only two lay-bys in the county incur trading fees, the other being at Park Head on the Coundon bypass, near Bishop Auckland, is currently not used.

A report to the committee said: “A request has been made by Mr Christopher Pounder who currently holds a street trading licence to trade from the Collier Wood lay-by on the A68 asking the Council to consider removing the current street trading designation of licensed street for this lay-by.”

If Mr Pounder’s request is supported and his proposal is accepted by committee members, a 28-day statutory consultation process will take place, giving local residents and the authorities the chance to make any representations.

If no representations are made the license will be removed along with the compulsory fees Mr Pounder currently has to pay.

The report can be viewed online at democracy.durham.gov.uk