Moves to allow traders to operate from Craven car parks have been scrapped.

Councillors were asked to back a scheme for the council to sell licences to ice-cream sellers, and others, allowing them to set up in its car parks.

The council’s policy committee was told that several councils, including Harrogate and Bradford, allowed traders to set up in public parks and car parks in return for a licence fee.

Some councils charged up to £6,000 per year for the best ice-cream pitch, councillors were told.

It was proposed that Craven could charge around £5,000 per year for a pitch at the High Street car park in Skipton and about £500 for more remote car parks such as Grasmere Drive car park in Bentham.

But concerns were raised that businesses close to some car parks would be hit by the competition and that villages might not want to see valuable parking spaces taken up by vendors.