A ban on A-boards in Walsall town centre is to be lifted – but shopkeepers will have to fork out almost £30 for the privilege of using them.

Hard-up businesses will also be asked to more than £175 to have on-street displays of their goods, as part of the policy shake-up.

Council chiefs say the fees will cover administration of the new set-up, which has been discussed by the licensing committee.

The changes will see Walsall become the second Black Country council to relax rules after Wolverhampton dropped its ban last year.

Councillor Keith Sears, chairman of Walsall Council’s licensing and safety committee, said the charges were comparatively low, given the current economic conditions.

“We’ve tried to take the sensible approach here,” he said. “The fees are just there to cover the administration costs, as officers have to go out and visit each premises to see if it’s suitable or not.

“We’re hoping it will offer shop owners a bit of a boost in the current climate.

“I think it is preferable to just having a blanket ban on A-boards.

“Obviously, the footpaths where A-boards are left must be wide enough, but providing they don’t present an obstacle to blind and disabled people, there should be no problems.”

Under the new rules, all displays must not be put up before 7am and will need to removed by 8pm.

The boards will have to be kept in a good condition and should not interfere with traffic or pedestrians. They must also be placed no further than 0.5 metres away from the shop frontage.

A condition stopping traders displaying crates of vegetables, clothing, hardware and other items will also be dropped if approved.

A three-month consultation has been held over the plans and the changes are due to be rubber-stamped at a full council meeting on Monday.

In Wolverhampton, traders had faced plans to charge them to have an A-board outside their shops. But amid a backlash from shopkeepers, the city council decided to drop the proposals.

They would have seen traders such as shops, cafes, butchers and hair salons pay £150 just to apply for permission to advertise on the footpath outside.

The fee, which would have applied to each A-board and be non-refundable, sparked uproar with critics saying the boards were part of the fabric of traditional high streets.

The charges plan was drawn up amid concerns the boards were a hazard for blind and disabled people – despite the authority admitting it had no records of any complaints.

The Government granted local authorities permission to charge traders for placing A-boards on the streets in 2007.