Examination of Witnesses (Questions 232
- 239)
TUESDAY 31 MARCH 2009
MR STEPHEN
DOUGLASS, MR
CHRIS WROE
AND MS
TOT BRILL
Q232 Chair: I understand we have
got Mr Wroe for Westminster Council.
Mr Wroe: Yes. Many apologies.
I am a very last minute substitute for Councillor Astaire who
is unfortunately out of his post at the moment.
Q233 Chair: I am sorry to hear it.
Send him our best wishes.
Mr Wroe: Thank you.
Q234 Chair: The same thing goes for
you as for previous witnesses, do not feel obliged to "me
too" if you agree with another witness. It is helpful if
you elaborate. We have got your written submissions so you do
not have to keep repeating your numbers and things that are in
there. Obviously you are all three London markets. I think we
have already appreciated from the witnesses we have had thus far
that you are operating in a very different environment for all
sorts of reasons from out-of-London markets. So you might want
to concentrate on those aspects rather than where you are the
same as the rest of the country. Are your markets thriving or
declining? Is it some markets some way and some another? Could
you tell us how many of the markets you run at a loss?
Mr Douglass: I think, generally
speaking, it is a mixed picture. I think what we have seen is
a decline in traditional retail markets, but at the same time
as that we have seen opportunities through specialist farmers'
markets. We have also seen in recent years growth in private indoor
markets. So I think what we have seen is the number of people
who are market traders has remained stable. It is just that some
of the on-street retail markets have undoubtedly been declining
over a number of years. Looking at our statistics, that has slowed
down recently, but certainly over the last 10 years or so there
has been a dramatic fall in the numbers of people trading on traditional
street markets.
Q235 Sir Paul Beresford: Does that
matter to Southwark?
Mr Douglass: Yes, of course it
matters. We think our street markets are very important to us
in lots of ways, certainly in terms of vibrancy and public spaces.
Q236 Sir Paul Beresford: So what
are you doing about it?
Mr Douglass: What we are doing
about that is we are looking at seeking investment. I think there
is an issue about reinvestment in those markets. That is not very
easy to achieve in the current economic climate. We are looking
at working with traders in terms of business development and business
support. We are looking at improving the environment in street
market areas and there are lots of actions we are taking. We have
just done a fundamental review of the whole portfolio, working
with the National Association of British Market Authorities, and
that has set out some recommendations for the future that we are
now looking at implementing. It is because of this decline that
we have done this fundamental review.
Ms Brill: I think the picture
is the same as it is in Southwark, that it is patchy and it is
variable. Markets have been changing over the years. The things
that are sold have been changing. They are highly volatile. They
react to changes in customers. So for us the fruit and vegetable
traditional bits of the market have been in decline, but Golborne
Road Market has recently become a success with the growth of a
North African market there. We have recently set up one of London's
few farmers' markets in the street and that is a reasonable success.
Q237 Chair: Does that market happen
once a week?
Ms Brill: Yes.
Q238 Chair: On a Saturday?
Ms Brill: Yes.
Q239 Sir Paul Beresford: Are markets
important to Kensington and Chelsea?
Ms Brill: Absolutely. First of
all, because Portobello Market is an iconic market in London,
so it is really very important to how we see ourselves, but they
are important to the local communities. In North Kensington, which
is a very deprived area, access to fresh fruit and food is really
important. The farmers' market we have set up was set up specifically
at the initiative of local ward members to regenerate an area
that was kind of dead at the weekends.
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