Market stallholders in Ripon and Knaresborough who applied for discretionary grants have each received an additional £8,000.
The payments have been welcomed but stallholders say they will continue to call for a rent reduction.
The money has come from the government’s Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund, which supports small and micro businesses affected by Covid,
Harrogate Borough Council has administered the payments, which follow an award of £2,000 each in August to stallholders who made an application.
The traders who received the unexpected additional payment are among those whose goods were classed as ‘non-essential’ at the time when the government said that only scaled-down open air markets with strict social distancing measures in place could be held.
Food stall holders, whose goods were classed as essential, were allowed to trade throughout the lockdown period.
Andrew Sutcliffe (pictured above) who sells womenswear on both Ripon and Knaresborough markets, told the Stray Ferret:
“Traders still need to look to the longer-term and the fact that the council has increased our rents by more than 25 percent, which is unacceptable in the current economic climate.
“The additional payment was unexpected and is, of course, welcome as it helps offset the losses we made in the 11 weeks when we could not stand at any market.”
Read more:
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The council’s rent increase for the supply and erection of stalls it provides came into effect on August 1, prompting traders in Ripon and Knaresborough to launch a joint Save our Markets petition.
The petition, which calls on the council to reduce rents, has been signed by almost 4,000 people.
Brian Murphy, who has a fruit and vegetables stall and represents market traders in Ripon, said:
“The food suppliers who came week in, week out to markets where there were only a handful of stalls, have received absolutely nothing – except for a rent increase. That’s why we continue to call for a reduction.”
He pointed out:
“I also trade at Otley Market, which is controlled by Leeds City Council and they have gone out of their way to help all traders, with rent-free periods and rent reductions.
“They have just announced that rents will remain reduced by 25 percent until the end of December.”
A council spokesman said 20 market traders received the grants.
The spokesman defended the rent increase:
“We wanted to introduce a more flexible way markets are run and the traders we can attract. Many traders at Knaresborough and Ripon already use self-assembly stalls at other markets they sell at where the council will not erect stalls.
“Depending on the trader, they may actually pay less this financial year. The pitch rental remains the same as 2019/20 and we have offered traders an incentive if they erect their own stalls of a £5 reduction per week.
“Those who don’t wish to erect their own stalls will pay the same rate as 2019/20 but will pay a surcharge to cover some of the costs of us erecting a stall on their behalf.
“It currently costs us £15 each time we need to assemble a stall on behalf of a trader and given the number of stalls at both weekly markets, it ends up costing the taxpayer thousands of pounds per year.”
