Plans to save three Black Country markets have been unveiled by a local council - full details here

The proposals, which will be presented at the economy and environment overview and scrutiny meeting on Monday (February 24), include new pop-up kiosks, permanent kiosks that double as dining areas, and even event spaces.

For the year 2023/24, Walsall market earned the council £33.5k, but Bloxwich ran at a loss of £38.4k and Willenhall at a loss of £89.3k.

Market Curators, the contract holders carrying out the review into the three markets, have made several recommendations for each of them.

The review, funded by the government’s Community Regeneration Partnership, looked into historical trading results, demographics, market rents, tenants and trading patterns.

Walsall Council reported that staffing costs alone total £59,010 for each of the three markets per year.

Rates for the Walsall market cost the council £47k per year, while at Willenhall, rates cost £4k and in Bloxwich, 3.6k.

Only for the Willenhall market does the council fork out for management fees and private contractor fees, which costs £53k per year.

Several recommendations have been made for the three markets as set out below.

Walsall Market

Permanently fixed modern kiosks could be installed for the market traders outdoors.

The kiosks would double up as outdoor dining areas and seating for a new performance stage and big screen in Market Square, which would host big sporting or cultural events.

Also recommended was the introduction of a new indoor market, which would have up to six kitchens, a bar, a stage, communal seating and kiosks for retail and service industries.

The guide cost to achieve the outdoor offer is £1.47m, and for the indoor offer, £3m.

It is hoped that within five years of opening the indoor/outdoor market offer in Walsall that it could bring in £500k per year.

The report mentioned that it is important to attract a higher number of younger shoppers and professionals without putting off the current market visitors.

Willenhall Market

As the council’s biggest financial burden, the Willenhall market is the ‘operational priority’.

The recommendations included investing in new pop-up stalls with Walsall Council branding, rather than the current practice of paying a company to supply, erect, and dismantle market stalls.

Traders would collect their stalls in the morning and self-erect and dismantle at the end of the trading day.

A new kiosk would be installed in the town centre to act as storage for the pop-up stalls and to be used as a market coffee shop.

It is estimated that it will cost £104k in capital investment to implement the changes.

The report mentions that closing the market would have a detrimental impact on the community and businesses in the town centre, and that making the changes above would achieve the desired budget saving.

Bloxwich Market

The report has recommended that the council install additional weather protection to the market’s existing stall canopies as well as bold signage to attract shoppers from the High Street to Market Place.

A guide cost for the above changes at Bloxwich Market is £75k, which is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund via the West Midlands Combined Authority.

All of the above will be presented at the council’s economy and environment overview and scrutiny committee meeting which takes place on February 24 at 6pm.