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13
Aug
Ripon market stallholder fears his business could be blown away
A stallholder whose family has traded at Ripon Market for more than 110 years has said his future will be 'in the hands of the weather’ from the start of next month.
Since 1974, the now-defunct Harrogate Borough Council and its successor North Yorkshire Council have provided traders with a supply, set up, dismantling and storage service for stalls used at the market.
But that service comes to an end in Ripon on Saturday, August 30.
From then, all traders will have to supply and erect their own stalls.
Fruit and vegetable trader Brian Murphy told the Stray Ferret:
After more than 110 years of my family selling fruit and vegetables at the Thursday and Saturday markets, the future of the business is in doubt, because I am going to have to swap the sturdy, steel-framed council stalls for gazebos that can be folded down to fit in my van along with the produce I sell.
With lightweight gazebos I will be in the hands of the weather and there will be days on the wide, open Market Square, when the wind makes it unsafe for me and similarly-affected stallholders to trade.
Stallholders were offered free use of North Yorkshire Council's storage depot.
Mr Murphy added:
North Yorkshire Council offered to let me and nine other traders have the council stalls free of charge and also said that we could store them without charge in their storage depot on Cathedral Car Park.
Unfortunately, this fell through because we were unable to find a contractor with the appropriate public liability insurance who was willing to provide the set up, dismantling and storage service.
Last summer, North Yorkshire Council announced that it was going to withdraw the set-up service provided for the markets in Ripon and Knaresborough, in a bid to save £30,000 a year and bring them in line with the other outdoor markets operated by the authority.
This led to heated debate and a 3,000 name ‘save our market’ petition raised by Ripon councillors Barbara Brodigan and Pauline McHardy, who argued that North Yorkshire’s move would see the loss of stallholders and have a long-term negative impact on the city’s economy.
Knaresborough Town Council is in talks with North Yorkshire Council to take over the running of its weekly market.
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