CITY HALL DEFENDS MARKET CHANGES
CITY Hall has defended administrative changes to the popular Belmont Market, with fees altered and access restricted to the site.
Public access to the market has been restricted before 8am and changes have been made to deter stall holders from making on-the-day payments to the council.
Pre-booked indoor sites attract a $20 fee compared to $30 for on-the-day bookings while pre-booked outdoor sites attract an $18 fee compared to $23 for on-the-day bookings.
City of Greater Geelong community life director Linda Quinn said there was a slight increase for casual ‘on the day’ bookings to encourage people to book and pay in advance.
She said the measure reduced the council’s staffing requirements and the amount of cash held by municipal staff on market day.
“A new fee structure to encourage stallholders to book and pay for their stalls in ad- vance was introduced when the 2017–18 fees and charges were adopted in July last year,” she said. “Under the new structure, many stallholders’ fees actually decreased.”
Ms Quinn said the fee changes were made to reduce administrative pressures.
“Casual ‘on the day’ bookings attract a higher fee as staff need to provide them with paperwork on the day to ensure all stallholders meet the terms and conditions of the market, risk management and health and safety requirements,” she said. “For those who book online in advance there was a small increase for outdoor sites, however the cost for indoor sites reduced by approximately $3 per site.”
Ms Quinn said the pre-8am lock-out was introduced due to safety concerns.
“Before 8am there are many vehicles driving around the market site, so this measure was introduced to reduce the risk of a potential collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian,” she said.
“Under the new structure, many stallholders’ fees actually decreased.” CITY OF GREATER GEELONG COMMUNITY LIFE DIRECTOR LINDA QUINN