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27
Aug
Ripon councillors seek further information on market consultation
The future of Ripon’s ancient market, which dates back to the 12th century, came under the spotlight at Thursday's full city council meeting.
After a sometimes heated debate, members unanimously agreed to seek information from North Yorkshire Council (NYC) about the extent of consultation that they have carried out so far with market stallholders.
They are also requesting details about any further planned consultation on proposals that would require the traders to provide and set up their own stalls at the twice-weekly markets.
Once this information has been supplied to the city council, it will decide on the course of action to take.
In July, NYC informed traders by email that the Thursday and Saturday markets, along with the Wednesday market held in Knaresborough, are due to become ‘self-set,’ meaning traders would need to bring and erect their own stalls.
Under the North Yorkshire Council proposals, all traders at Ripon and Knaresborough markets would be required to bring and erect their own stalls
Currently traders have the option of having stalls supplied and erected by the authority for a surcharge – a situation which the cash-strapped council said ‘is not sustainable.’ at it faces a £48 million shortfall in its budget.
The email from NYC read:
This operation is currently run at a significant subsidy which unfortunately is not sustainable.
Further immediate investment is required over and above our current costs to continue safe operations of stall set up.
Therefore, the council is proposing to harmonise our operating model to cease setting up market stalls for traders at Knaresborough and Ripon markets, bringing operations in line with how our other five markets run.
At the city council meeting, Cllr Pauline McHardy said she had carried out her own survey with traders. She pointed out::
The majority of them told me that they would no longer come to Ripon if they have to supply and set up their own stalls, because it would be unfeasible.
This includes Brian Murphy, whose family has been selling fruit and veg on the market for 110 years.
He has three stalls at both the Thursday and Saturday markets and said that his van could not take the weight of the stalls on top of the weight of the goods that he brings to sell.
Cllr Jackie Crozier, who owns the company Little Bird Made and regularly runs artisan markets in the city, said:
There are other viable options that could be considered.
At the Little Bird markets we have up to 53 traders, all with self-erect gazebos that are light-weight, inexpensive and easy to transport and install.
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