'High rent and poor stalls' could mean death of Wednesfield market
Traders fear their beloved market will die unless council rents are cut and improvements made to stalls.
Wednesfield Market, on the High Street, has been a regular fixture since the 1960s but the number of stallholders has dwindled to just three on some days.
Now a desperate SOS call is being made to Wolverhampton City Council to help keep the market alive with shop owners also warning: “If this market goes, the High Street will die.”
The council says action has been taken to help traders. But Jon-Paul Allen, who runs a shoe repair stall, said the market was treated like “an afterthought”.
He called for greater incentives for people to take up stalls and more advertising to encourage shoppers to visit, adding: “The market gets ignored, there is no advertising, no incentives for new traders like a couple of months free rent or a couple of months half rent to help new traders get established, like Wolverhampton was given. And they wonder why there are so few traders here now.”
Mr Allen added that many traders were also told they were not allowed to set up stalls in the days leading up to Christmas Day.
“We are working in very difficult trading times at the moment and days like Christmas where there are more people about gives us a chance to help our business,” he said.
A petition has also been launched to regenerate the Wednesfield market – which has received more than 2,000 signatures.
Max McEvoy, who runs Juicy Fruits fruit and vegetable shop, said: “Along this High Street we have the capacity for 26 stalls in total. And on the first market day we have had only three traders come out.
“A lot of people are discouraged by the rents. At the top end of the scale this can be as much as £28. If this market goes, the High Street will die.”
He also said roofs on the stalls "protect nothing." He added: "We could do with some proper, hard-wearing plastic covers and perspex sides."
Councillor Steve Evans, cabinet member for city environment at Wolverhampton Council insisted help had been offered, adding: “Since 2016, market traders have seen up to a 31 per cent reduction in rent to try to improve its occupancy and in addition the council introduced a £5 stall incentive for traders.
“This summer, new roofs were installed to shelter the stalls from bad weather.”
