Charnwood Borough Council replies

I AM pleased your letter writers want change at the market, because that’s what we also want at the council.

We all have one common goal, a strong, sustainable market for Loughborough.

As markets struggle nationally, Loughborough continues to buck the trend in many respects. It was only last year it was crowned the Best Large Outdoor Market in the country, not just the region, but nationally.

I have lived here for 32 years and I visit the market every week. I think it’s fantastic. The traders are lovely and the products are varied.

Of course some traders leave, not because of the council as your letter suggests but for a variety of reasons and many new ones appear. However, we can’t rest on our laurels and that’s why this year we will invest in the region of £40,000 on the market this year on extra gazebos, covered seating areas for the public and improved electrics.

Last year a review was carried out on the market and a number of proposals were put forward. While we accept some traders have concerns, others are ready to try new things in order to protect the future of the market.

Traders have been fully involved and we’ve had meetings, kept everyone updated via a trader’s newsletter and another meeting is imminent, once a suitable date for all parties is confirmed.

No-one has been “left in the dark” as suggested.

We also operate an open-door policy and our team are happy to discuss issues and ideas.

We are still looking at all the proposals and planning a way forward. These things take time and it’s important to do things prop- erly not just quickly.

We also need to involve other stakeholders, including other partners involved in the town centre, not just the traders.

Yes stall charges have increased but only with inflation and they’ve been frozen for the past two years.

Our charges are in line with other markets. And yes we have introduced a late payment charge but we need to balance our books and it’s meant to be a deterrent for those who don’t pay on time. If they have a payment issue, they need to talk to the council, who will act sympathetically.

We accept the Saturday market has struggled since the start of the year but the poor weather has not helped and has also damaged some stalls. They will be repaired and replaced where appropriate.

We also have an issue with some traders cancelling late on and leading to empty stalls. The review did suggest imposing fines for non-appearances, which is something the traders themselves have suggested in the past so I fail to understand why this is now an “issue”. We are doing as you ask.

On the other hand, the Thursday market is doing particularly well with 85 traders regularly standing.

People are asking for a different approach and that’s what we are proposing. As soon as we have a final recommendation, you will all be consulted.

Now we need to work together to make sure it happens in the right way, for the benefit of Loughborough, its customers and of course the traders. Coun Jenny Bokor, lead member for Loughborough