FRUSTRATED market traders met with council officials to air their concerns at the introduction of a new five-year lease.
Market traders were given an update about the new £130m Glass Works development which will house the new market hall.
Traders had been told there would be a three-year break clause, but were worried about what would happen should they need to exit the lease before the three years were up.
Paul Clifford, the council’s head of economic development, said there would be an opportunity to reassign the lease, subject to council agreement.
The traders were told this option would be open to them from day one. They will also be expected to pay one month’s rent up front when signing the lease.
Coun Roy Miller said: “I don’t want to tie people up for five years, that is not real life. There is a clause that if something happens, you speak to the market officers and sort it out.”
One trader asked if it was possible to have a daily licence until the building works had been completed.
He said: “The main concern of every trader in May Day Green and Market Parade is that you’re asking us to sign a five year lease. You’re asking us to sign five years, in a building site and no-one is willing to do so.
“Can we not get set on a daily licence while the building works are completed and then have the opportunity to sign for the lease?“
But he was told by Mr Clifford that this was not an option.
Another man said traders wanted to make a go of the new Glass Works, but would feel more at ease if they could sign the lease when the work was finished rather than feeling ‘resentful.’
Another said more people might commit if the break clause was 12 months.
Mr Clifford said traders would be expected to pay one month’s rent upfrotn.
David Shepherd, the council’s economic regeneration director, said: “The market is the single biggest investment in the Glass Works, it’s the thing we want to keep at the heart of Barnsley. It’s been done for the right reasons.
“If we start to extend subsidiary arrangements, we don’t have a budget in the council to be able to do that.
“All councils have had a significant reduction in funding from government and we have to be looking at paying our own way in terms of council tax revenue, business rates and other forms of income and this falls into other forms of income. We don’t have a pot of money for the market to be subsidised indefinitely.”
Mr Shepherd said ‘intelligence’ had suggested that footfall had been roughly the same since building works started but another trader said that didn’t necessarily mean people were spending money.
The trader said: “There could be a stampede of people coming around the market, but what matters to us is receipt fall. We’re fighting for our lives.”
The thorny issue of car parking was also raised, as the multi-story car park is due to be demolished.
Coun Miller said 500 car parking spaces were included in the development. But he added: “Some people are coming into town early in a morning and taking up all the spaces, we need to look at that and get these people out of the area.”
After the meeting, Coun Roy Miller said: “It was a very positive meeting with lots of questions raised by the market traders, some of which were answered to everyone’s satisfaction, others need to be answered.”
