The fees and charges for a variety of licences issued by the council could go up from next spring if councillors approve a package of measures next week.

The price increases are expected to affect licences for taxi and private hire drivers and operators as well as the likes of street traders, casinos, bingo halls, sex shops and body-piercing premises.

The proposals – mostly for increases of about 5 per cent – are due to be decided by Brighton and Hove City Council’s licensing committee at Hove Town Hall.

If the committee rejects any of the recommendations, they are likely to be decided by the council’s cabinet at a meeting scheduled to take place on Thursday, February 13 as part of the budget-setting.

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A report to the licensing committee said that, legally, the council should not make a profit from licence fees but should set them at a level to cover the relevant administrative costs.

The report also said: “The proposed fees for 2025-26 take account of inflation, particularly on staffing costs, ensuring that costs are fully recovered.

“This is necessary in order to ensure that council tax payers are not subsidising work concerning licensing administration.”

Among the changes will be the cost of a pitch at the Saturday market in Upper Gardner Street which is slated to go up from £590 to £620 – or 5.1 per cent.

In other areas, the annual fee for a street trader’s pitch could rise from £4,900 to £5,150 for a bigger pitch (50sq ft) or from £4,020 to £4,220 for a smaller one (42sq ft).

Stalls at occasional farmers’ markets could go up by 4 per cent from £250 to £260 per stall and street artists would be expected to pay 5.7 per cent more – £37, up from £35.

The annual fees for sex shops and strip clubs, currently just under £4,000, are expected to go up.

The cost of a new body-piercing premises licence is proposed to rise by 3 per cent from £165 to £170 – the same as the proposed change to the cost of licensing a new practitioner.

The licensing committee is due to meet at Hove Town Hall at 3pm on Thursday. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.