Completing your application form

Section 1

This section asks if you are applying for a collector’s licence or a site licence. You may only apply for one type of licence in each council area, but you can apply to run multiple sites. For instance, you could apply to run 3 sites in council A’s area, and also apply to be a collector in council B’s area.

A site licence lets you buy and sell scrap metal from a fixed location within the council area.

A collector’s licence allows you to travel within the council area to collect scrap metal. You may not take this metal back to a site that you run within the council area in order to sell it.

Section 2

In order to carry on your business you may need to hold other environmental permits or licences that we should know about. For instance, if you carry waste as part of your business it is a legal requirement to register as a waste carrier. This includes transporting waste while travelling from job to job, to a storage place for disposal later, or to a waste disposal company or waste site. For more information on this, or to register call: 03708 506506 or visit the Environment Agency website (external link).

This section also asks for details of any other scrap metal licences you hold. Please make sure you include the licence number so that we can check this against the national register.

Section 3

This section should only be completed if you want to apply for a site licence.

It should be filled out in the name of the person who will hold the scrap metal dealer’s licence. As well as details about you and your business, we will also need details of any directors or partners involved in the business including their home address. We also need to know the address of the site or sites you want the licence for, as well as the details of each site manager responsible for that site including their home address. These details are required by law or to facilitate checks on the applicant or so that you can be contacted if there are any problems.

You and every person listed on the application form needs to submit a Basic Disclosure Certificate from Disclosure Scotland. You can apply for the certificate on the Disclosure Scotland website (external link).

This is because the Home Office has decided that you and any person listed on the application need to tell the council if you have been convicted of certain crimes. Possessing a conviction may not automatically prevent you from having a licence if the offence was unrelated to being a scrap metal dealer or a long time ago, and you can convince the council that you are a suitable person.

A Basic Disclosure Certificate is considered to be only valid for a limited time, but can be used to apply to as many councils as you want within that time. Typically, three months is the longest that you can expect your check to be considered valid.

A site manager is the person who will be in charge of the site on a daily basis.

A director or partner is someone who has or shares legal responsibility for the operation of the company, including filing returns at Companies House.

We also want to know if you operate or propose to operate a site in another local authority area, along with details of this site, the council which has licensed it or to whom you have applied for a licence.

If your site(s) were established after 1990, then you are required to have planning permission from the council. You will need to tell us if this is the case, and it will be checked with the council planning department.

Section 4

This section should only be completed if you want to apply for a collector's licence.

It should be filled out in the name of the person who will hold the scrap metal dealer’s licence. You are asked to provide contact details, including the place where you live, so that the council can get in touch with you if necessary.

This is because the Home Office has decided that you need to tell the council if you have been convicted of certain crimes. Possessing a conviction may not automatically prevent you from having a licence if the offence was unrelated to being a scrap metal dealer or a long time ago, and you can convince the council that you are a suitable person.

A Basic Disclosure Certificate is considered to be only valid for a limited time, but can be used to apply to as many councils as you want within that time. Typically, three months is the longest that you can expect your check to be considered valid.

You will need to ensure that all your vehicles are roadworthy and are properly taxed, insured and otherwise meet the legal requirements to be on the road.

Section 5: Motor salvage operator

This section asks if you will be salvaging motor vehicles as part of your work. The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 brings together the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964 together with Part 1 of the Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001, which means you now only need a scrap metal dealer’s licence. You will need to apply for a site licence to operate as a motor salvage operator.

Section 6: Bank accounts that will be used for payments to suppliers

This section asks you for the bank details which you will use to pay people for the scrap metal you receive or sell. This is to check that you are not selling the metal for cash, which is illegal. These details will be kept securely by the council.

Section 7: Payment

There is a fee to apply for a licence and your council will tell you how you can pay. The fee varies from council to council as it reflects their costs of processing the form and checking that people are doing what the licence requires. Applications cannot be accepted unless the correct fee has been paid.

Section 8: Criminal convictions

This section asks you to set out any relevant offences (see below for a list of these matters) or enforcement activity that has been undertaken against you by the Environment Agency or Natural Resources Wales. It is an offence under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 to make or recklessly make a false statement. The information listed here will be checked against the Basic Disclosure Certificate from Disclosure Scotland that you are required to submit with the application, along with information retained by the police and the Environment Agency or Natural Resources Wales.

Section 9: Declaration

The person who will hold the scrap metal dealer’s licence needs to sign and date the declaration, as do the other people named on the form. This section also explains that the council has to share some of these details with the police, Environment Agency, or Natural Resources Wales when checking whether the applicant(s) is a suitable person to hold a licence. Some of the information will also be displayed on a public register.

If you do not agree to this use of your information then you should not sign the form. If you are in any doubt about what this section means then speak to your council’s Environmental Health team.

Relevant offences

For the purposes of section 3(3)(b) of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, “relevant offence” means any offence specified in the Schedule contained within SI 2258 / 2013 (The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 (Prescribed Relevant Offences and Relevant Enforcement Action ) Regulations 2013), and includes an offence of:

Attempting or conspiring to commit any offence falling within the Schedule;
inciting or aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the commission of any offence falling within the Schedule, and
An offence under Part 2 of the Serious Crime Act 2007 (encouraging or assisting crime) committed in relation to any offence falling within the Schedule.

The following offences are included:

Primary Legislation

An offence under section 1, 5, or 7 of the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989
An offence under section 170 or 170B of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979,where the specific offence concerned relates to scrap metal
An offence under section 110 of the Environment Act 1995
An offence under sections 33, 34 or 34B of the Environmental Protection Act 1990
An offence under section 9 of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985
An offence under section 1 of the Fraud Act 2006, where the specific offence concerned relates to scrap metal, or is an environment-related offence
An offence under section 146 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012
An offence under sections 327, 328 or 330 to 332 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002
Any offence under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964
Any offence under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013
An offence under sections 1, 8,9,10, 11, 17, 18, 22 or 25 of the Theft Act 1968, where the specific offence concerned relates to scrap metal, or is an environment-related offence
Any offence under Part 1 of the Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001
An offence under sections 85, 202, or 206 of the Water Resources Act 1991

Secondary legislation

An offence under regulation 38 of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007
An offence under regulation 38 of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010
Any offence under the Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005
Any offence under the Hazardous Waste (Wales) Regulations 2005
An offence under regulation 17(1) of the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002
Any offence under the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000
Any offence under the Producer Responsibility (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007
Any offence under the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 1994
Any offence under the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007
Any offence under the Waste (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Regulations 2006

Scrap metal and salvage