Market authorities need to study the results by which councils are judged carefully, to make sure markets receive the attention and funding they require, according to experts.
Krys Zasada, policy development manager for the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA), urged retail and wholesale market managers to look at the National Indicator Set (NIS) and devise ways of gaining support for markets.
Launched on 1 April, 2008, the NIS is the only set of indicators on which central government will performance manage local government. It covers services delivered by local authorities alone and in partnership with other organisations.
Speaking at the London Markets Symposium in City Hall on Friday, Zasada said: “While we are optimistic, we have to be realistic, in that the next two to three years will be very tough for local government and some may be looking to shed their markets so we need to look at areas - such as crime reduction and local jobs - that markets can offer.”
Fellow panelist Peter Turvey of the London Street Trading Benchmarking Group said: “Engagement with local authorities is very important, but also raising the standards of those who represent markets to local authorities is vital to make sure those points are getting across in the right way.”
David Smith, director of markets at the City of London, said: “There is definitely a degree of politics to be negotiated. We have got interest in markets at the highest level of government but I don’t think we have been good enough at engaging elected representatives - the people who are going to drive them forward in the London boroughs.”
As of 1 April, principal councils will be given a year by central government to put plans in place to assess business in their area and NABMA is working to ensure markets are firmly on this agenda.
Last October, a select committee enquiry adopted all proffered recommendations from an industry report and an interdepartmental group in government has shown “real desire” to support and develop markets since.
Zasda added that there were a number of key initiatives - including the probable relaunch of 5 A DAY by the department of health this year and a new project to increase the profile of markets to be launched by business and local government minister Rosie Winterton next week - which could greatly benefit UK markets in the short and long term.
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