Markets

[trevnhil]

I have just been reading the online version of the Morecambe Visitor. I was very surprised to see that the markets in the area seem to be in turmoil.
I was amazed to note that the Lancaster market has closed completely. The report went on to say that the Morecambe festival market was still going but that many stallholders were in arrears with the payments to the council.

It was also mentioned that there were problems at the West end market. I am assuming this is the one in the Alhambra buildings.

Times are hard it seems, but it must be difficult for the council to continue to provide a market facility if the stallholders will not pay for the stalls. I suppose that means that you the taxpayers are in effect giving the money to the council.

Trev..

[brian]

Yes, Lancaster market has closed and we're waiting to find out how much a closed building with a very long term council signed rental deal is going to cost the town.

Business is hard for anyone these days but should we treat businesses in arrears to the council any different to how a business would be treated by a private landlord?

It leads me on to #SOSMorecambe, a campaign any twitter followers might think I object to. I object to The Visitor telling us to spend our money locally and expecting locals to buy their newspaper to get all the detail. A newspaper that made local people redundant a few years ago and moved their printing out of town many years ago. The campaign should be backed by a not-for-profit organisation, for example the council, with details available to anyone and everyone at no cost.

[mpprh]

Apparently, there is only one taker for the Lancaster market building - Primark www.primark.co.uk.



Primark are a major player in UK and expanding rapidly (start France this year).

The West End market in the old Alhambra was pretty low rent. The problem is that the owner wants to sell and is giving short term leases only. Apparently a charity has outbid the West End market traders association.

[brian]

Excellent, a Primark in Lancaster. Little reason to shop anywhere else now ....


because it's all the same flipping shops

[accykeef]

Councils throughout the country have been working towards killing off town centre trade for many years. It has taken a long time because shops are resilient but the succession of like minded, non business brained council types have strangled the life out of town centres.

They have allowed the large shed retailers to set up their mega stores next to large convenient car parks and then allowed them to trade, 7 days a week selling anything you care to mention.

One famous supermarket has even been allowed to take over an area of town which was subject to a legal covenant but I am sure that the company involved waved some money about and all was well with the world (allegedly).

Morecambe as a shopping town has many challenges, one of which is defining just where the town centre is. There is the Festival Market which is a fair walk from that other definitive emporium of a town centre, the central post office and then there is another ten day camel hike to another town centre land mark, the town hall. All kinds of shops are dotted around the area, some very good, some just oK and a few not worth bothering about but you need to know where to find them, perhaps a Morecambe shop directory should be something the Council consider as it may give people a reason to come into town.
I hope it has more longevity than the town centre consultation group I signed up for, where I went to one meeting, heard some clueless people spouting utter drivel about how to re-energise the area and then heard nothing more.

The market rents issue is probably a great excercise in red tape and defaulters just play along with the system. If the job was organised properly, you pay up or you are out of the market the same week. That is not brutal, that is called running a business and only the fittest survive.

If Councils were businesses, they would have gone to the wall years ago - much like the Government is trying to avoid by taking money off the most vulnerable members of society. I won't go into details on this forum but we are currently battling with a Goverment body and it is a case of common sense vs accountants. If I was a betting mane, I would back the accountants because their friends are bigger than ours.