Traders who use ice cream vans in Liverpool are set to face background checks under proposed new council rules aimed at better protecting the city's children.
Members of the council's street trading committee will meet on Friday to decide whether to approve proposals that would see those operating ice cream vans subjected to disclosure and barring service checks to make sure they don't have unspent criminal convictions.
There are currently 37 van operators licenced in Liverpool and when applying or renewing a licence applicants simply have to declare whether they have unspent convictions or cautions, with no follow up check built in.
Documents posted on the council's website say that leaves the system vulnerable to people lying about past crimes.
Traders would instead be made to get a Basic Disclosure, costing £23, from the Disclosure and Barring Service.
A report circulated to councillors says the nature of ice cream vans mean they are likely to attract unsupervised children who may be more vulnerable.
It states: "Such traders are distinctly different from other Street Trading Licence and Consent holders in that their customer base is predominantly children and young persons under the age of 18, often unaccompanied by an adult.
"Such children and young persons are particularly vulnerable to any person with dishonest, violent or generally criminal tendencies.
"The potential risk to children presented by such traders is heightened by the fact that they look to trade at places where children congregate and, by being mobile in nature, are not subject to the close control and supervision given to static ice cream traders in the City Centre by Council Enforcement Officers."
The report says the new measures will "reduce the risk of children being exposed to harm by ice cream van traders".
Liverpool is currently in the process of attempting to become certified as a Unicef "Child Friendly City", with the report saying the changes to ice cream van licences will help make the city more safe and secure for children overall.
