MEETING WITH COUNCILLORS
8. Following the market visit, the Committee met
the following Leicester City Councillors; Cllr John Allen (Conservative);
Cllr Peter Coley (Liberal Democrat); Cllr Andy Connelly (Labour);
Cllr Sarah Russell (Labour); and Cllr Paul Westley (Labour).
9. Leicester City is a Labour-run council. There
was a fair degree of cross-party consensus on the challenges facing
its market. The Councillors explained that the market was "tired",
requiring significant development if it is to remain competitive
over the next 20 years. The market needed to be properly signed,
pulled in to the main retail circuit and made more welcoming to
prevent people missing it out of their trips to the town centre—for
instance by heading solely to Highcross Shopping Centre, a new
retail development. The indoor market in particular was a priority
as customers didn't like going upstairs. One possibility was
to demolish the current indoor market, and replace it with a one-level
structure and/or make use of the old Corn Exchange. In the current
economic climate, development of the market is challenging, and
the Council is still debating the best way forward, with funding
the main issue. The Councillors also recognised that they had
to bring the market traders, and customers, with them. Changes
need to be done sensitively, with agreement reached through consultation.
10. The Councillors accepted that in the past the
market had been seen as a "cash cow" and that market
traders had complained of a lack of investment from the council
in the market, but agreed that recent administrations had worked
to support the market and to bring people back to it. They explained
that the Council made use of its powers under its Market Charter
to prevent other markets opening within 6 & 2/3 miles of Leicester
market, thus protecting its position. They observed that one problem
in London, where Councils did not have this provision, was that
there were too many local markets—the implication was that
within a locality fewer, bigger markets able to attract a larger
footfall were more likely to thrive. The Councillors were well
aware and positive about the benefits of their market—two
of the Councillors present had market trading backgrounds themselves.
They offered the following reasons why they wished to keep their
market:
- The public like "their"
market
- It makes a profit
- The market traders, who travel long distances
to trade at Leicester market, bring in expertise and create local
employment
- Market trader "characters" attract
people to the market, and hence to the town centre—which
also supports nearby shops and services
- Conversely, were the market to close, there would
be a negative knock-on retail effect for nearby shops and services
- It provides cheap, fresh produce
- Market traders are specialists able to give advice
e.g. on ingredients, preparation, and ripeness (eg customers can
ask for a pineapple for consumption today, tomorrow or a few days
time)
- It caters for different ethnic groups—particularly
important given Leicester's ethnic mix
- It encourages intermingling of ethnic groups,
promoting social cohesion
- It provides new business opportunities, particularly
in a recession. A councillor gave the example of one popular stall
holder, a Romanian man, who sold cakes—he did not have sufficient
turnover to run a shop, but could make a living from his stall.
11. The Committee asked whether the Council had considered
using its "prudential borrowing" powers to support the
market. The Councillors explained that, in the past, market profits
could not be guaranteed, so borrowing to invest in the market
was considered too speculative a venture. Other regeneration
projects had promised a better early return. Now that the market
had been turned around, there might be greater opportunity in
future to use prudential borrowing in this way. The Committee
also asked whether there was more that central government should
be doing to assist them in the running of their market. The Councillors
responded that more could be done to publicise markets to tourists.
They also saw more potential to work in partnership with central
Government to promote national targets through markets—e.g.
by promoting healthy eating (addressing the government target
to reduce obesity) with an emphasis on how to shop for healthy
produce at the market. With regard to healthy eating, the market
had already linked up with the local education authority to arrange
for children from local schools to visit, and learn about healthy
and easy recipes and how to cook with fresh produce.
12. Also on the national level, the Councillors said
they would like to see wholesale markets—which supply produce
to their market traders—opening later, as this would allow
market traders greater flexibility to open later themselves.
Currently, wholesale retailers open at 2am so market traders—many
of whom can't afford to employ additional staff—want to
close their stall by 3 or 4pm to give themselves time to have
a break and make the opening of the next day's wholesale market.
The Councillors felt it would benefit the market as a whole—for
instance by attracting evening commuters—if more stalls
were able to stay open later.
13. The Councillors also discussed with the Committee
initiatives they had tried, or were considering, to attract more
people to the market. They had organised successful food festivals—for
example an Asian food festival which had changed the character
of the market for the day. They had tried Sunday trading, but
this had not been a success—partly because market traders
had not been keen, wanting a rest day. They had debated the merits
of switching from a fixed stall market to one with moveable stalls.
A fixed stall market made it easy for stall holders to set up,
and kept the costs associated with opening and closing the market
low. On the downside, on Sunday and evenings the market space
is a "dead area" which can't be used for anything else—and
runs the risk of being used as a toilet. Also, during quiet periods,
rows of empty stalls can be off-putting to shoppers. The Councillors
felt there might be merit, therefore, in introducing some moveable
stalls to increase site flexibility—though the Council would
incur more costs setting the stalls up for trading and removing
them when the market shut.
14. The Committee thanked the Councillors, and Nick
Rhodes, for giving generously of their time. On their way to the
town hall, the Committee witnessed the presentation of the "Britain's
favourite market" award, which had been won by Leicester
City market in a poll of the public conducted by the National
Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA).
15. At the town hall, before lunch and the afternoon's
oral evidence session, a NABMA delegation gave a talk to the Committee
about Nuneaton market. The Committee heard that the ancient and
still successful Nuneaton market operated on a Wednesday and a
Saturday in the pedestrianised town centre, with Council-sponsored
entertainment and prize-giving to attract visitors to the market.
The emphasis was on being "family friendly" and on food.
Nuneaton market had around 160 moveable stalls on a Saturday and
up to 120 on a Wednesday. Nuneaton market made a profit for the
council largely because it succeeded in attracting out of town
visitors to the market. Nuneaton had a number of car parks at
the edge of town and within walking distance of the market to
encourage access.
16. Before leaving, the Committee expressed its gratitude
to Leicester City Council for arranging the visit to the market
and oral evidence session.
