http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/news/16...me-monthly.html

This is fabulous for Newbury, a really interesting market that makes the town an attractive place to visit. Frome has an absolutely outstanding independent monthly Sunday market and I've driven down a couple of times just to take it in, so I'm really hopeful that the BID can develop this monthly event along those line and bring Newbury alive once a month - best of luck to them.

But what about the miserable twice-weekly Town Council-run Charter Market? The Town Council actually tax me to put this thing on - their administrative costs outstripped the pitch income many years ago, so how in the name of the Great Prophet Zarquon can it be right to tax me for this dreary bit of shopping when essential public services are being cut? Time to hand it over to the BID who have some decent retail nous and let them try and make a go of it, and if they don't fancy the challenge then at least the town will be less tatty without it and there will be a little more public money available for something useful.

I'd certainly agree with letting the BID run the market wholly on its own. Without any other reason, it makes eminent sense because they are the retail experts and have a vested interest in making if work.

NTC have over recent times demonstrably failed. The number of stalls has dropped significantly and it makes a loss. Good that they tried and no loss of credibility for failure - that only comes if they just keep going!

The other issue is that their peer Council is clearly in deep trouble financially and having to cut even wanted services. They are even suggesting some should be undertaken by NTC. Yet further reasons for not wasting money on unprofitable ventures. How can any Councillor, particularly a double hatted one, justify any of the WBC cuts whilst justifying the loss on the market.

The more markets in Newbury, the better. After all we are a market town. This should attract people from outside, that is if they can find any free parking.

Quite agree; but you only need one organisation to manage them.

Agree with most of your statement only critism, taxpayers should not be subsidising the small numbers of users of the market, it should at least be covering the basic costs of running it. Yes I know that NTC admin costs etc are rather bloated to say the least but then the stallholders should do something about that themselves, assuming the Council will let them of course, bearing in mind the vexatious rules!

Thanks guys, interesting points to my post.

From the council,
The existing bus interchange will be cleared as part of the redevelopment and replaced by an appropriately designed and scaled new bus interchange to the south of the library". is, where the traders now park, where will the traders park after the implementation of the changes?

Do you reckon there will be any?

Well at least it's handy for the bridge that only they are allowed to use.....

Newbury Market was at one time a thriving event and i recall it having been rewarded with awards. I even remember that they had a waiting list of traders due to lack of space and the market manager and council opened a Sunday market in Northbrook Street to accommodate those waiting.
Trying to search archives to find out when this was but cannot find anything.
I remember that the Town Clerk was a Mary Danby and i think Mike Rodgers was the then Mayor.
Cant remember the Market Managers name but i think he was awarded with a Market Manager of the year award 2 times on the trot.
All of this was reported in the NWN.
I believe the manager left and the town council employed one of the stall holders to run the market and he decided that he didnt want "strangers" on the market and hence the decline which still happens to this day.

That's a great insight Nerc and I think that issue has at least been hinted about before. 'Self management should men just that. In other words, if it was done properly, the Council would simply ask the 'Self Management' for a fixed sum annually to rent the space. If they didn't pay, in full, then no market. Simple as that.

However, we have the worst of both worlds, a Management and a Council, both apparently doing the same job! Essentially, this naturally means the market traders then start behaving like an old style nationalised industry - who can blame them if they can get away with it.

Again, it's pretty clear that we no longer have the skills to even operate the market, let alone manage it, so let's pass it on to those who might be able to do the job properly, or let's let it go. After all, the 'Market Town' label came from livestock and corn trading - neither of which are now remotely connected with Newbury. We are a dormitory suburb; the only markets worth promoting are the ones the BID want to keep the centre live.