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03
Jun
Ripon Market: Councillors split on way forward
Calls for a working group to be set up to develop a business plan for Ripon Market were rejected at a heated meeting of the city council.
Amid claims and counter claims about the future viability of the ancient market, a casting vote by deputy mayor Councillor Gary Camplejohn, who chaired last night's full meeting, saw the working group proposal defeated.
The proposal was put forward by Pauline McHardy and seconded by Barbara Brodigan, the two city councillors who last summer raised a 'save our market' petition signed by 3,000 people.
Councillors Pauline McHardy (right) and Barbara Brodigan, pictured at Ripon Market
The petition followed discussions with stallholders who told them that North Yorkshire Council's introduction of new arrangements requiring all traders to erect their own stalls would put the future of the market in jeopardy.
Brian Murphy, whose family has sold fresh fruit and vegetables on the market for 120 years, attended last night's meeting and told councillors that fears for the future of the market remain.
He said:
At last Thursday's market, only two of the 10 traders who turned up on a wet morning, had their own stalls and of the remaining eight who had stalls erected by council workers, the majority said they won't be able to come to Ripon when the supply and assembly service is withdrawn.
Cllr Brodigan said:
We have been criticised for saying that the market is in danger, but as things stand, we believe that it is and we should follow the lead of Knaresborough Town Council, which has put forward a business case for taking over the running of its market as part of double devolution proposals.
Cllr McHardy added:
Setting up a working group would give the Ripon traders some hope.
Free use of market stalls
Council leader Andrew Williams was one of the five councillors who voted against the creation of a working group, which he felt was "unnecessary" and could achieve "very little".
He said:
The market is not in danger and I very much want to see it thrive.
It has the support of North Yorkshire Council, which has told traders that they can have the council-owned stalls that they currently use free of charge, along with use of a free storage facility in the city centre.
To do this, the traders would be required to appoint a contractor with appropriate public liability insurance, who would assemble and dismantle the stalls on market days.
Traders have been offered free use of the council-owned stalls and free storage space at the Victoria Grove storage facility pictured above
With the new self-set arragements due to start in early August, Cllr Camplejohn recommended that the traders look to appoint a contractor as soon as possible
With regard to Cllr Brodigan's suggestion that Ripon follow the lead taken by Knaresborough Town Council, Cllr Williams said:
We need to let the situation calm down, before Ripon City Council considers taking on running the market.
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