The organisers of a campaign to save Knaresborough's weekly market and annual Christmas market have called for a public consultation before new proposals are adopted.

North Yorkshire Council stunned traders at Knaresborough and Ripon markets in July by saying they would have to put up their own stalls from this month (September) onwards in a bid to save money. A survey revealed about two-thirds of traders would pack up if this were implemented.

The council subsequently said a report would go to the council’s ruling executive in November.

Independent Knaresborough businessmen Steve Teggin and Bill Taylor are overseeing moves to save the town’s market, which is the longest continuously run market in England.

A plaque in the market place marks the roots back to 1310 — look for a feature on this in the Stray Ferret’s weekly Local History Spotlight tomorrow.

A petition to save Knaresborough Market has received over 1,000 signatures, which is enough to ensure the issue has been added to the agenda at the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee meeting on September 12.

This Liberal Democrat-controlled committee can make recommendations to the council's ruling  Conservative executive — but any proposals it makes would need the executive’s support.

Mr Taylor, who will address the meeting, said he would ask for more time for discussions between Knaresborough Town Council and North Yorkshire Council to resolve the matter. The two parties were already in talks about handing over control of the market to the town council when the self-erect issue was proposed.

Mr Taylor added:

Mr Teggin said a number of solutions were available, including allowing some North Yorkshire Council-owned land close to the market to be used for storing the steel frames that are erected into stalls.

Many traders say it simply isn’t feasible for them to carry around such heavy items or fit them in their vans, and that they don’t have time to put them up and dismantle them.

With the town council willing to take on the market — provided it made financial sense — Mr Teggin said there were various options to explore. He said:

Questions to North Yorkshire Council

The Stray Ferret asked the council several questions about the market. We have included the council’s response to each one below.

1 Who came up with this idea and why did they initially say it would be introduced in September, just a few weeks after the email went out to traders, with no consultation?

Officers have consulted directly with stallholders at Knaresborough and Ripon markets to gather their feedback both on the proposals and potential implementation date.

2 Could you clarify what the latest situation is and why has no formal consultation been announced?

The council has stated to stakeholders that a formal decision will not be made earlier than November 5, 2024, so to provide time for consultation and preparation of a report for decision. (Asked about this, Mr Taylor said ‘No evidence of any sort of consultation has been seen.’)

3 How much does the council estimate it will save by going self-erect?

Around £25,000 to £35,000 a year.

4 Why did the council propose this change when it was already in discussions with Knaresborough Town Council about the town council running the market?

In addition to a number of devolution pilots and scoping projects, North Yorkshire Council is also looking at opportunities for transformation and harmonisation of services. These will continue in tandem.

5 Why was North Yorkshire Council so reluctant to hand over the financial data about the market to Knaresborough Town Council? We understand it had asked for it several times over the last year. Has it been released now?

Yes, it has now been shared with Knaresborough Town Council.

The Stray Ferret will continue to monitor developments closely. Use the comment section below to say what you would like to see done.