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04
Sept
Is new-look Ripon Market set to succeed or fail?
Ripon's ancient market is open for business — but not as usual from today (September 4) as all traders are now required to supply and set up their own stalls.
Cash-strapped North Yorkshire Council aims to save £35,000 a year by withdrawing the subsidisied service — a move that has heightened concerns about the market's long-term future.
Until August 31, stallholders could pay a fee on top of their pitch rental for council workers to store, supply, set up and dismantle the sturdy steel-framed stalls which the unitary authority inherited from the now-defunct Harrogate Borough Council in April 2023.
North Yorkshire Council gave those using the service the opportunity to have the stalls free of charge, along with free storage in the council's depot in the Cathedral Car Park. But this fell through because the 10 affected traders could not find a contractor with the appropriate public liability insurance to carry out the work.
This morning, the Stray Ferret counted 17 traders on Market Square for the weekly Thursday market as a number faced with the switch to self set-up stayed away.
What stallholders are saying
Brian Murphy, now selling fresh fruit and vegetables from three of the sturdiest gazebos he could find, said:
With a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms this afternoon, I suspect that some of the stallholders now having to operate from a gazebo, decided not to take the risk of coming to Ripon today.
We are determined to make it work because we have no other option, but ultimately our future is going to be dependent on the weather.
The Murphy fruit and vegetables gazebo.
Similar concerns were expressed by baker Jared Clark, who, until today, had been using the council set-up service since 2020.
He said:
The gazebo I have will be ok, so long as it is not wet and windy and that will be the deciding factor on whether or not we are able to trade.
Martin Carrick
Fishmonger Martin Carrick, whose family has traded on Ripon Market for more than 80 years, said:
We need as many traders as possible on Market Square each week to attract the footfall and the customers we all require to make our businesses profitable.
The uncertainty that some stallholders now face is unhelpful and we will be monitoring the situation to see if it is still worthwhile for us to come to Ripon.
Mr Carrick's brother Kevin, who has sold fruit and vegetables on the market for 30 years, said:
When I first started coming here the market had up to 70 stalls, but now we struggle to get more than 25 each week. Something has got to change.
Kevin Carrick
What do customers think?
Rosemary George, who lives in Harrogate and visits the market with her husband Chris each Thursday, said:
We were disappointed to see that some of the smaller traders that we normally buy from are not here today and we hope that they will be back soon.
Rosemary and Chris George.
Jonathan Levy, who is a regular customer at Jared Clark's bakery stall, said:
The market is part of Ripon's historic fabric and is a vital element of the city's economy.
Everything possible should be done to ensure that it is helped to succeed.
Jonathan Levy
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