Lord Mayoral candidate Martin Haese wants food trucks removed from Victoria Square and anywhere the vans compete with established businesses.

The trucks have been a feature of Adelaide in recent years, but have sparked some concerns from café and restaurant owners.

“What I find is that people generally like them, but we need some rules,” Haese told radio FIVEaa’s breakfast program Thursday.

“When you get the trucks opening up in front of a shop selling coffee, and that shop pays rates and business fees, that’s just not equitable.”

It’s the Adelaide City Council’s promotion of food trucks in Victoria Square that has riled Haese the most.

“The latest one – Victoria Square – is a case of a large scale commercial venture running an operation that’s not paying rates.

“This is the Adelaide City Council going into direct competition with its ratepayers.

“When your council goes into business against its ratepayers, there’s something wrong here.”

Haese said he was also opposed to the Festival and Fringe venue The Royal Croquet Club which operated out of the Square in February and March.

“They come in and take the cream off the cake; we need to find a balance for it to be more of a community event.”

Haese said food trucks should be encouraged to be different to established businesses, not just a “copy cat’ of current rate-paying ventures.

“Let’s call it the Onus of Innovation.”

Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood said the council’s latest food truck polices address the concerns raised by Haese.

“It is important to find a balance but activating our squares and parklands are equally important and provide additional opportunity and choice,” he said.

“We want to protect current business while also encouraging new ventures which might then set up in the city.”