A quick scan down the delegate list at this year’s NABMA conference shows that while the split between private and publicly owned retail markets is fairly balanced, many of the most established markets remain council run.
Speaking to public market operators, there’s a clear frustration at the layers of management and endless “workstreams” that have to be dealt with to get anything done in a council-operated market.
Moreover, examples of ongoing disputes between local government and market traders at Manchester and Birmingham wholesale markets show similar issues exist throughout the supply chain.
The latter case appears a sad indictment of a lack of communication between the council and its traders. It also raises serious questions about the dangers of wholesale markets flying under the radar. The lack of political willpower to save the market and its 1,400 direct jobs in favour of the council’s Big City Plan, which includes building housing on the site, is disappointing and suggests a lot of work needs to be done to promote the market’s cause before a decision is made in November.
Of course, privately owned sites have their own issues with companies looking to make short-term money and not necessarily concentrate on sustainability. But if the ongoing disputes at Borough (p1) - which itself suffers from a lack of revenue from becoming a tourist attraction - proves anything, it is that opening a constant and constructive dialogue between management and traders is the only route to prosperity.
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