Traders fear stall plan threatens market

Traders at an ancient market have said its future could be under threat if a council plan to get some of them to buy, bring and put up their own stalls goes ahead.

A market has been running in Knaresborough every Wednesday since 1310, when it was granted a Royal Charter by King Edward.

Hundreds of people have signed a petition calling on North Yorkshire Council to abandon the proposal, which some claim would raise challenges for traders who are elderly or disabled.

The council said the proposal was about making markets across the county cost effective, but said it would "work with traders and listen to their concerns".

According to figures by North Yorkshire Council there are around 35 traders who attend Knaresborough market on a weekly basis, and more than half could be impacted by the change.

David Tomlinson sells scarves and handbags and has been coming to Knaresborough market for the last 18 years.

He will have to bring his own stall if the change is brought in, something he said he cannot do as he will not be able to fit one in his vehicle, leaving him with no choice but to leave the market.

“They are going to kill off the market if they take away the stalls, because overnight they will lose me and quite a few of us who just haven’t got the room in our vehicles to carry our own stalls,” he said.

“Once the traders leave, no matter what they do, if they did a U-turn, they won’t get the traders back."

Another trader who said they will not be coming back if the change goes ahead is Paul Robinson.

He runs a greeting card stall at the market and is worried about the wider impact on the town if fewer traders come.

“We get a lot of coach trips in, so if they did not come all the businesses around here will suffer as well,” Mr Robinson said.

And this is a sentiment echoed by salon owner Kelly Young who sees regular customers come in only on a Wednesday, drawn in because of the market.

“If you reduce the people coming to the market to put a stall on, that reduces people coming into the town and that impacts on all the traders," she said.

Knaresborough Town Council hopes to take over the running of the market from North Yorkshire Council through its double devolution programme.

North Yorkshire Council currently runs five other markets across the county including in Skipton and Northallerton.

It said a policy to self-erect at Ripon and Knaresborough would bring operations in line with these other markets.

Keane Duncan, the council's executive member for highways and transportation, said that to put up and take down the stalls at both Knaresborough and Ripon markets costs taxpayers about £30,000 a year in subsidies, a cost they cannot afford.

“What we need to make sure is that the markets are fit for purpose, that they are cost effective and we will work with traders and listen to their concerns," he said.

Mr Duncan added that they are looking at is giving away the stalls for free for any traders who want them or need them.

The changes were set to start in September, but that has been extended for further consultation with a final decision expected later this year.