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Since news was announced about these Liberal Democrat plans to disrupt the market by moving traders out of their regular positions to make space for a 'leather sculpture' in the centre of the stalls, we have had a number of e-mails on the subject, some of which we give below. At least a couple were not publishable on a family web site, but we would like to thank the senders as we quite share their anger at this gross arrogance on the part of NBC.
Forget The Democracy.
How can the Northampton Liberal Party - forget the Democrat part, it doesn't exist here - allow such stupidity as this sculpture event to disrupt our market yet again? As if the traders haven't been messed about enough over this last year or two. How are these decisions made? Does some idiot in the events team dream them up and councillors nod automatically in approval? Or do councillors conspire to deliberately upset the hardworking traders? Or are they just dumb and know nothing about what some overzealous council officers have planned?
To ruin trade and endanger traders livelihoods for two weeks to show off some probably bloody silly sculpture in the middle of the stalls is beyond belief. Particularly when they have a big empty events area to put it in. The stupidity and outright arrogance of this Liberal-run council knows no bounds. As Fitzy says, Northampton must vote them out next year. They are the most meddling unpopular council the town has ever had.
Marketshopper.
Incompetent Councillors.
Amazing how these incompetent councillors waste our money, they spend over £60,000 on turning the fish market into an art market and then disrupt stall-holders by turning stalls into an outdoor art market? Again they spend thousands on the fountain but after weeks the grey stones look as if they have been down for decades as they are filthy, do these people know how to spend money wisely? Apparently not, the trouble is ..the people running the market haven't actually got any idea and or experience.
Fred Insider.
Moving Is Bad For Business.
Surely to keep moving traders about must be bad for their business? Cannot the council please see this? How do they justify moving all these small businesses to the bottom of the market, away from the regular customers? All this upset to put an art exhibit in the very place the traders were? What silly nonsense. Surely traders have human rights which mean their regular trade cannot be disrupted like this, at the idea of a few councillors? Who would want to be moved out of their small shop moved for two weeks and a sculpture stuck in the window? This is what is happening to market traders. I am thinking all this is very wrong. I shall never be voting for the liberal democrat again.
Small Shopkeeper.
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Traders protest but Liberal Democrats still want Arty Farty Blink Festival ‘Sculpture’ in middle of July - August Market! (June 2010)
Market traders will have to give up their Main Aisle stalls come July, if a planned arts extravaganza takes place on Northampton Market. Apparently not content with taking away half of the Market Square to use as an ‘Events Area’, Liberal Democrat NBC now want to take down up to 34 stalls from the middle of the market in order to show a ‘leather sculpture’ as part of a ‘Blink’ arts festival.
Traders are to be shoved down to the bottom of the market into - you guessed! - the ‘Events Area’! Doesn’t make sense? No, that’s what the market committee thought when they were told about it. They asked why this ‘event’ could not go into the ‘Events Area’, and were told rather vaguely that the artists preferred to show their sculpture in the middle of a working area. So for this arrogant vanity a great many traders have to be moved for two weeks, losing a great deal of regular trade.
The traders’ committee strongly protested to NBC that no traders want to move, and the issue is to be reconsidered. It is possible only half the original number of stalls will be moved, but traders consider that this invasive ‘leather sculpture’ exhibit should be kept in the events area, where it belongs, and no stalls moved at all.
A well-known committee member commented: ”We all know that if you move three stalls away from where you usually are the public can’t find you - these traders are being told to move half the market away, what chance have they got? Traders’ livelihoods are being destroyed for two weeks so a great deal of public money can be wasted on some so-called art event. It’s a bloody disgrace!”
Deliberate Provocation?
When traders were asked to discuss the issue, several thought that the intent to remove up to 34 stalls from the heart of the market for a fortnight was a deliberate provocation by some leading members of the Liberal Democrat council. “They are trying to kick the market to death!” Said one angry trader. Others thought the move represented the usual arrogant and thoughtless attitude of the Liberal Democrats, who have continually angered the market traders with many decisions taken which adversely affected traders’ livelihoods. Fitzy comments on his regular blog at:
http://www.fitzynorthampton.co.uk/archives/96-Kicking-the-Market-to-Death.html
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Lib-Dem Fountain Floods Newsagents Doorway!
When the new market square fountain was tested recently, apparently the drainage to take away the overflow was inadequate, and the water flowed down the pavements into a nearby newsagent's doorway, making it difficult to access. When the fountain was switched on again later it was kept to a very low level of just a few inches high, which was all the system could cope with. A drain clearance vehicle was quickly drafted in to unblock nearby drains, about which complaints have apparently been made for some time, long before the fountain was built.
However, even with unblocked drains it was found the system could not cope, and a source close to the incident said that it might be necessary to lift some of the newly-paved areas again to re-lay and expand the drainage system. After this was done and retested, there were still problems.
The building works for this fountain have been blocking off the bottom entrance to the market square for over three months now, and the work is at least a month behind the original schedule. Now it looks as if extra work may be necessary. It might be thought they could have got it right after all this time. The word 'incompetence' does come to mind. But this isn't the only thing to cause a few red faces amongst the pale orange Liberal Democrat council...
Angry Traders Storm Market Office!
On Saturday 8th May traders got a letter telling them they must clear all their semi-permanent display stands from their stalls on Saturday 12th June, in readiness for an Arts Market which was to be held at the top of the market square on the following day, Sunday June 13th, curiously the very same day that the bottom of the square was being used for a music festival.
Taking down and carting away semi-permanent wooden display stands would mean a great deal of work, especially for the fruiterers and florists, so irate traders stormed the market office. Senior Market Officer Jane Spence soon had angry traders wanting to know to know whose bright idea this was, as no traders or their representatives had been consulted about this issue.
A number of questions asked and comments given by the irate traders were thought to be less than politically correct, particularly when it was found out that it was apparently the idea of the market square events team, who have a history of not consulting with traders before they launch events which have unforeseen consequences. See: Earlier events.
Chair of the market traders' committee Mrs Chris Domansky said "The committee haven't been told a word about this before today. If this issue had been brought up and discussed we would have told them they should find some alternative, and a great deal of anger and ill-feeling could have been avoided".
Several traders pointed out the pretty obvious 'stupidity' of holding an Arts Market with a Music Festival on at the same time.
"When people visit an Arts Market they want a bit of peace and quiet so they can walk around and study the exhibits, and perhaps talk with the artists. I'm sure they don't want loud music playing at the same time" Commented branch secretary Keith Westhead. "We have offered time after time to help the events team plan things so nobody is inconvenienced, and for awhile late last year it worked. Now they seem to have gone back to just trying to steamroller things through without consultation".
With traders' feelings running high - some traders have reportedly given notice, and others have threatened to do so - it seems that it will be necessary for NBC to call a meeting with traders representatives within the next few days. All of this is more bad publicity for the Liberal Democrat controlled NBC, who have a poor history of co-operation with the market traders during their last three years of office. See: Poor history.
Market Square 'Cafe Culture' Under Fire!
Cllr Richard Church's cherished 'cafe culture' came under fire recently, when one of the caterers around the bottom of the square got a letter telling him to control his customers, and stop them using politically incorrect and even foul language. Quite how he was supposed to do this without putting himself at personal risk was not made clear.
There can be little doubt that the 'cafe culture' now holding forth under the red umbrellas on the square perhaps does not rise to that originally envisaged by the dreaming Liberal Democrat Cllrs Church and Woods. Who, it will be remembered, wanted the square cleared of market stalls in order to accommodate chairs, tables, and umbrellas to house a Venetian-style 'cafe culture'.
It has also been noticeable that neither Church nor Woods have ever been seen ingratiating themselves with the present incumbents, graciously sitting down with them over a latte and croissants. Obviously a sprinkling of the well-off middle classes is required amongst the tables to somewhat leaven the perhaps rather coarse nature of the present culture.
Cllrs Church and Woods and others were told over a year ago and several times since, in no uncertain terms by traders representatives, of the kind of 'cafe culture' that would appear like toadstools as soon as the tables were laid. As usual, no notice was taken of the traders' warnings, so the the present situation has inevitably arisen.
We should not be surprised at this, as the present Liberal Democrat administration has a record of not heeding what traders - or indeed the general public - have to say, but going their own way regardless. So now they are directly responsible for what is happening with the 'cafe culture' and should responsible for doing something about it.
They should not expect catering traders - some of whom are women - to try to control the behaviour of yobbish customers who may have recently bought a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich. Control of unruly elements is a job for the Police or Security, not some poor trader who has quite enough stress in his or her life already.
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NBC Plans for the Market - Good News for some Traders
At a recent Town Centre Stakeholder Meeting, Town Centre Manager Derrick Simpson told traders representatives that due to operational reasons, NBC would now take down only one double row of traditional market stalls and replace them with pop-up gazebo stalls in June.
This is good news for those traders in rows which are not now going to be affected, but traders representatives asked Mr Simpson to have consultations with those traders who would be unhappy to have their traditional stalls removed. Some traders have stated they are unable to work on gazebos, and some have said they may leave Northampton Market if they are forced to use them. Some users of gazebos have reported water leaks, and the gazebos lack awnings for sun and wet weather protection.
Mr Simpson said talks with individual traders affected by the move would take place, and all traders displaced by the move would be accommodated.
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Fitzy’s Campaign Progress -
Market Trader Eamonn ‘Fitzy’ Fitzpatrick, who is standing for Northampton North as a candidate in the General Election, has been out and about on the campaign trail. A great photo-shoot of some of Fitzy’s activities can be found here: Fitzy Campaigns.
Fitzy’s web log can be found here: http://www.fitzynorthampton.co.uk
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Plans for the Market - NBC Market Meeting, 14th April 2010.
At a Guildhall meeting packed with market traders on Wednesday 14th April, Town Centre Manager Derrick Simpson laid out the current NBC plans for changes to Northampton Market. He began by strenously denying rumours about the Market Square being used as a future bus park, but said nothing about the rumours concerning future car parking and redevelopment. Rules and Regulations were now being introduced, and will be circulated to traders and comments taken, to be reviewed on a regular basis. Mr Simpson said he wanted everything decided upon to be in written rules, with nothing left to argue about in the realm of unwritten custom and practice.
It was soon obvious that NBC still wanted to push ahead in June with plans to replace the strongest market stalls in all England with popup alloy gazebos. Mr Simpson stressed that only two double rows of stalls would now be replaced, instead of the three double rows originally envisaged. The rest of the market would not be touched this year, and not until at least March next year. As a result there would be no need for a total reallocation of traders all over the market, because the relatively small number of traders displaced by two rows of popups could be accommodated on already empty stalls. Row 6, a demountable row at the bottom of the market on Fridays and Saturdays, would become a permanent demountable every day row, and could also help to accommodate displaced traders.
Traders on the present bottom row 5 of traditional stalls facing the empty space would be given the opportunity to move down onto row 6 of demountables to again face the empty space, which some might prefer for ease of unloading and to maintain their present relative position.
Mr Simpson said that he would not now be removing boards and trestles from the market until alternatives approved by the traders had been found. Traders acknowledged that this was a sensible decision.
Mr Simpson then had to field a great many questions from irate traders, and picked his questions and answers carefully. Jag Singh was very eloquent in the questioning of Mr Simpson, and carefully explained several times that he could not work the popup stalls for a number of reasons, and that Mr Simpson was in danger of losing traders and ending up with empty stalls if the rollout of demountables continued. Quite a number of traders supported this view. Sid Nabi spoke on this matter, as did Richard Hill, who asked if Mr Richardson, who was apparently fronting the music festival in June, could not pay for moving the semi-permanent metal stalls over the short period of the Festival? Brian Rudd pointed out that the whole town centre had to be put right before the market would prosper.
It was pointed out to Mr Simpson that the new stalls had a flimsy internal structure by comparison with the present steel stalls, and many trades would not be able to hang up their gear for display. They also leaked, and had no fitments for putting out awnings against the rain or excessive sun. Traders who had worked on the first demountables for the best part of a year said they leaked water in inclement weather, and would not suit all trades, especially fruit and vegetables, fabrics, curtains, fashions, books, cards, packaged goods, and indeed any gear liable to be damaged by rain and excessive sun. The Market Committee Secretary pointed out that any stall which habitually leaked was unfit for purpose.
Traders generally felt that the stalls had been badly chosen by persons who had no background in the markets trade. Curiously the manufacturers did not make or provide awnings for their stalls, something anyone with practical experience on markets would have checked before ordering them. It appeared the weather awnings issue had been raised with NBC officers several months ago, and so far no improvements, even of an experimental nature, had been made.
There was criticism of the German Christmas Market, which had not done well commercially and which, it was generally felt had not helped Northampton traders, and had proven something of a disappointment. Mr Simpson said that it was hoped to get the German Christmas Market back next Christmas. Traders asked that it should be aligned with the existing market rows and aisles, so there was a continuance of the main and mini aisles throughout the market. Last year these aisles had been blocked off by German huts, and it was felt this had contributed to the lack of trade. Visiting Continental markets in general should follow the same layout principles and integrate as closely as possible with the existing regular market, as otherwise people tended to only visit the Continental market, and ignore the regular one. Mr Simpson said these requests had been noted and would be acted upon.
Farmers Markets came up next for discussion. It was pointed out that Northampton was one of the very few places that had not yet operated a long-term successful Farmers Market. Senior Market Officer Mrs Jane Spence said the Farmers Markets had failed. It was not for want of trying, but after several encouraging starts the number of stalls would rapidly dwindle to around a half-dozen or less. Traders said there did not seem to be adequate local footfall to keep them going, and something seemed to discourage people in the county from coming into the town centre car parks and using the Farmers Market. (Comment: Surely not the £7 a day parking fee? Perish the thought!).
Traders advised Mr Simpson of an impending problem with getting vans into a particular row after the two double rows of traditional stalls were replaced with demountables. The space between the top row of demountables and the bottom row of traditional stalls (between double rows 3 and 4) would be too narrow to drive or back a big van into and still open the doors to get out and unload. Had Mr Simpson known about this? Mr Simpson said he had been aware of the problem, but believed it could be overcome by parking outside the row any vehicle unsuitable to get in, and unload and carry goods to the relevant stalls, loading up in the same fashion at the end of the day. Traders protested strongly that to unload and carry loads of up to 35 cwt (1782 Kg) to and from their stalls twice a day was quite unacceptable.
Mr Simpson said every trader would be treated fairly, and he wanted to work with traders to achieve what was best for the market. He needed to know more about the problems involved with the demountables, and double rows 4 and 5 would be in the nature of being an experiment. Chair of the Market Committee, Mrs Chris Domansky, asked Mr Simpson that if the experiment proved unsuccessful, would he be replacing the original metal stalls? Mr Simpson said that in such a case he would present a report to the council Cabinet recommending they be replaced, and it would be remiss of the council not to decide to replace them. Market Committee Secretary Keith Westhead asked if the metal stalls would be stored after they were removed? Mr Simpson said that they would be stored.
Saturday takings, several traders pointed out, were presently very poor, but the rents remained very high by comparison with the rest of the week, resulting in more traders dropping Saturday stalls. Could not the Saturday rents be cheaper? Mr Simpson said the Market Committee had raised this several times in meetings with NBC, but the council did not wish to drop the rent.
Mr Simpson asked traders for ideas for improving footfall into the town centre and the market. The most important item from the traders was the need for free or very cheap parking, perhaps in the region of 80p or £1 a day. It was noted that the problem of low footfall affected the whole of the town centre, not just the market. Measures were needed to get shoppers into the town centre. Traders felt that events generally did not attract shoppers into the market or the town centre, and that events on the bottom half of the Square drew prospective customers out of the market down to the event, and this was worse when the event was a noisy one. Some traders said that the market was better off without events at all. More signage was needed around the town centre pointing to the market, and more advertising of the market itself. Senior Market Officer Jane Spence said that this year there would be the same amount of street advertising for the market as last year, using the NBC poster design chosen by the Market Committee, and there would be mention of the market on the local radio and in the press, and on the market events web site, www.marketsquareevents.com.
Answering another question, Mr Simpson said the building compound blocking the bottom of the market would be removed at the end of this month. Traders pointed out there were no toilet and washroom facilities provided by the council on Northampton Market, neither for the general public nor for traders. Some of the market square improvement grant could have been spent on something practical like a toilet block on or adjoining the Square. It was pointed out that even Olney, a small Market Town, had a washroom and toilets on the marketplace. Toilets would have been appreciated by both traders and public rather more than fairy lights on buildings around the Square. Mr Simpson said that in the way local governments worked, grants were given for specific purposes, and the lighting grant had stipulated that it could only be used to light up historic buildings. However, the Superloo facilities in Sheep Street were unlikely to close before the Community Toilets Project came into operation. On this commendably upbeat note Mr Simpson closed the Meeting.
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Northampton Branch - National Market Traders' Federation
AUTUMN SURVEY 2009 - RESULTS
It is now over six months since Northampton Borough Council (NBC) moved the market to its present position, and recently we asked you to take part in a survey. Most traders responded to the survey forms that were given out, and below are the results from the 44 forms returned.
Traders Autumn Survey Results; (Not all traders answered all the questions):
1. It is over six months since the market was moved. Are you taking more or less?
a) 5 (11.36%) traders said they were taking more than before the move.
b) 27 (61.36%) traders said they were taking less than before the move.
c) 10 (22.72%) traders said they were taking about the same. 2 (4.54%) traders abstained.
2. Generally, do you think the events held on the bottom of the square have brought new custom to your stalls? 9 (20.45%) traders said Yes. 31 (70.45%) traders said No. 4 (9.09%) traders said sometimes events brought new custom.
3. Do you feel happy that the council is doing all it can to bring shoppers into the market and the town centre? 10 (22.72%) traders said Yes. 31 (70.75%) traders said No. 1 (2.27%) trader said NBC efforts were misdirected. 2 (4.54%) traders abstained.
4. What kind of events do you think are more likely to bring shoppers into the market and the town centre?
We had a large number of answers for this one, some for different types of events, many asking for free or cheap parking to bring shoppers into the town centre. Apart from free parking, antique & specialist markets & foreign markets were highest on the list, followed by cookery events, food events, dog shows, any non-noisy events, talent shows, bric-a-brac days, crafts and culture events, bands & music events, and radio shows. Some said that no events helped trade and the town centre should be cleaned up instead, and free or cheap parking given to traders and shoppers.
5. It has been suggested that a three-day market would benefit trade, by concentrating trade that is now over five days into three days. What do you think about this? Basically this was asking 'Do you want a three-day market?'
13 (29.54%) traders said Yes. 18 (40.90%) traders said No. 8 (18.18%) abstained. 5 (11.36%) were uncertain.
6. At present there are quite a number of vacant stalls on the market. These could be filled, we are told by market management, if there was no policy of protecting present trades by limiting the numbers of traders in each trade. Would you want the protection policy removed so that any trader could see any number of casuals in his own trade taken on? 10 (22.72%) traders said Yes. 33 (75%) traders said No. 1 (2.27%) trader abstained.
Thank you to everyone who took part in this survey. The answers given will help to advise any actions the committee might be taking in regard to trader feelings about the market move, the events put on, the numbers of shoppers attracted and the general state of the market. It is evident that there is a great deal of dissatisfaction about the effects of the move and with what NBC have been doing since the move.
Northampton Branch Committee, National Market Traders' Federation,
December 2009
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Northampton Branch National Market Traders' Federation Branch Newsletter - June 2009
Results of the Election of Branch Committee Wednesday 06 June, at the Old Bank PH.
NMTF Field Support Officer Mike Riley presided over a well-attended meeting of over twenty members, who elected the following committee:
Chair:Christine Domansky
Vice-Chair:Eamonn 'Fitzy' Fitzpatrick
Treasurer:Gary Woodcock
Secretary:Keith Westhead
Committee Members:
John Gracey; John Greatorex, Senior; John Greatorex, Junior; Karina Kennell; Jan Stavrou. Karen Atkinson. Melvyn Kennell.
The committee would sincerely like to thank all those traders who attended the meeting, and all who exercised their democratic right to vote in this election.
This committee recognises the hard work put in by the last committee in opposing the market move under very difficult circumstances, particularly the work put in by Chairman Mick Wilson and Secretary Les Brannan, by the Vice-Chair, Jag Dahal; and by campaign manager Fitzy Fitzpatrick, who gathered the majority of the 11,000 signatures of Northampton shoppers who opposed the move. Thanks are also due to those traders who kindly gave space on their stalls to get the petition signed and leaflets handed out.
All of the officers and many of the members of the new committee have served on NMTF branch committees in the past, and will do their best to represent you at this difficult time.
Priorities:
The priorities of this committee will be to reconcile differences that have opened up between traders in the recent past, and to encourage unity between all traders in facing the situation in which we find ourselves. There has been confusion arising from the divisive tactics employed by NBC in the recent past, and we must not let this happen again.
Remember that Unity is Strength!
Rumours abound on markets, especially when trading conditions are less than good. If you are troubled by some rumour that you may have heard, or if you have any particular problem that we may be able to help with, ask a committee member, and details will be recorded and acted upon. We may not be able to solve your problem, but we can try to help.
This committee will not tolerate bullying on the marketplace. Whether it is done by traders themselves or by local council officers, we shall not hesitate to have recourse to the Police in the one instance, and to high-profile Human Rights Solicitors in the other.
Advertising:
Remember that when you invest in a football card from Colin Neale on Saturdays, a percentage of this goes into the fund for advertising the market. Make sure that you help advertise your market by having a go on the football card; even if you don't always come up lucky, someone has got to win, and this week it could be your turn! So have a go and support your market!
Recent Stakeholder Meeting:
At a Market Stakeholder Meeting on Wednesday June 17th, your new committee pointed out traders' concerns over the way in which the various 'events' are harming trade on the market, usually on Fridays and Saturdays, and especially when there is a noisy event. According to the complaints we have heard from traders so far, the louder the event, the greater the bad effect on trade. All events held in the empty area of the square below the market tend by their very position to empty the market of customers, who hurry down through the stalls to find out what is going on below, and who do not return. So the middle and upper areas of the market suffer particularly badly on events days. If you are down the front near a noisy event, you can't hear customers, and the noise is a constant irritation.
We also complained to the highest level of Market & Events Management at the meeting that sometimes it was impossible to find somebody responsible to turn down the noise levels at these events. We made it clear that there are excellent grounds for moving noisy market square events into the evenings, after the market has gone home for the day.
Another point is 'feedback' on events. According to the terms given in the original application for the £1M grant which is funding all these 'events', market and events management are supposed to interview the market traders after each event to ask the effects of the event on trade, footfall, etc., and record these findings. We pointed out that for some reason they are neglecting to do this. When did you last get interviewed after an event? Never? Nobody else has, either. They are supposed to do this to find out if the event was good for trade or not, so they could change the type of event accordingly. Some of the very well paid officials present did not know about the document we quoted, and had not even seen the document which spelled out the legal requirements under which they were supposed to operate! Our appreciation of their efficiency was not enhanced.
Another interesting item which came to light at the Stakeholder Meeting was that there is a protectionist policy operating on our market, without anyone being aware of it. We had been getting complaints from casuals who were NMTF members that they were turned away from the market, even when there were plenty of stalls vacant, and they had been told that there were already enough traders in their particular line, whatever that might be. This was the very first time we had heard about this, and the last committee was not aware of it either. We are not saying that protectionism is a bad thing in hard times; just that traders should have been made aware of it. It should also have been mentioned in advertising; 'Selected trades only' is all it needs, then a Casual trader can ring up beforehand to find out if he/she is welcome or not. We hope to get more details on this at a future meeting.
Finally, as always we brought up the matter of the expensive rents we suffer on this low-footfall market, and asked if they would consider either dropping the rents or extending the so-called 'low season' period by some months. This appeared to fall on deaf ears, as usual.
Other items that were shown at this first meeting were wondrous plans to have a walk-through fountain on the mini-market area, and seating there for all sorts of persons to congregate upon in the entrance to the marketplace. There were also plans to have parasols all around the empty area of the square on non-event days, with chairs and tables underneath where patrons of the catering units could sprawl at their ease throughout the long summer days. Or not, as the case may be.
We did warn them that these future patrons might not look or behave quite like those in the continental cafe culture of their dreams, but again this seemed to fall on deaf ears.
The possibility of a four-week German Market before Christmas was also mentioned. One problem this brings is that in addition to sellers of goods of purely German origin, there would also be the sellers of goods which are already sold on this market, and so bring them into competition with some of our traders. But we all remember what happened last time they invited the Germans, so don't hold your breath. (For those who don't remember: They came; They saw; They retreated rapidly!).
When we at last left this Stakeholder Meeting, we felt as if we had been conversing with persons who live in a fantasy world fuelled by easy grant money; people intent only upon 'events' without concern for the market they are gradually destroying.
Campaigning:
The campaign to save the market did not end when they moved us; the campaign will continue as long as the market is endangered by the damaging policies that are being thrust upon it by local politicians. Already seven decent traders have left since the move; at least two of them were traders who have stood Northampton Market for very many years.
If the market itself becomes smaller, it will naturally attract less and less customers, which means more traders leave, and so the market becomes even smaller. It is no good trying to be foolishly upbeat about this; the problem is a serious one that is costing all of us trade and money, and this committee will explain this in no uncertain terms on all possible occasions whenever it meets with the council, with councillors, and with council officers. It would be nice to start a media campaign about it, too.
Our campaigning is not restricted to the marketplace. Since before the move, our own market website has been campaigning strongly against the present council and its foolish plans for the market.
Your new Vice-Chair, Eamonn 'Fitzy' Fitzpatrick, took the fight directly into the opposition camp, and almost knocked Cllr Richard Church off his seat on the local county council in Kingsley Ward.
Cllr Church is Portfolio-Holder for Regeneration of the Town Centre, and is the man largely responsible for the mess the market is in today.
Vice-Chair Fitzy has a blog on his own web site, and is always worth a regular read.
Both sites sometimes poke fun at these local politicians in a humorous way, and help to inform the world of what is going on here. We shall persist until they change their policies, or until they are removed from power in the next borough council elections.
See our market website at: http://www. northamptonmarket.biz
and Fitzy's web site at: http://www.fitzynorthampton.co.uk
Traders will be saddened to hear of the recent death of Alderman John Gardner, one of Northampton's best-known political figures and great characters. John Gardner attained the great honour of being appointed Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire. We were especially honoured to have John take part in the March from the Market Square to the Guildhall on 4th March 2009 when we presented the 11,000 signatures of Northampton shoppers who did not want the market moved. John Gardner was always a staunch supporter of Northampton Market and would often visit the Market. He did a huge amount for charitable causes and was a well-liked local figure in Northampton. He will be sadly missed.
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