Northampton market traders speak out again about being stuck in 'limbo' and treated like 'absolute....'

Traders at what they describe as ‘death row’ car park in Northampton have spoken out again about being in ‘limbo’ more than one year after being relocated.

The Chronicle & Echo visited the temporary market at Commercial Street car park on a sunny Tuesday morning (March 26).

Our reporter found there was one full-time trader and one part-time trader there – Les at LJB Rutherfords key cutting service and Mick Andreoli at his fruit and vegetable stall. The food units were also in operation.

Asked about the reality at Commercial Street car park, Mick said: “We’re now just dying a death. I’m just about struggling through on my own. That’s why all the other traders have packed up, because even without paying rent they can’t make this area pay. That’s how bad it is down here. We’ve got no passing trade whatsoever.

"The people who have built this town together for the last 50 years are being treated like absolute ****. In the process, a best friend of mine (Fitzy), we grew up together, and he died through the process. I feel disgusted at the whole situation.

"At the end of the day, I can walk away from this but there are traders down here who have still got to pay their mortgages and can’t.”

The Friends of Northampton Market – the unofficial Facebook page supporting the market – states that of the 35 traders that made the move from the Market Square, 25 are still operating at Commercial Street and 10 have closed, ‘mainly due to the tough trading conditions at this location.’

It also states that 16 new traders have joined the market of which eight are still operating, giving a current total of 33, made up of regular and occasional traders.

Mick said the council needs to see for themselves what is happening and visit the market.

“They’re living in dreamland. There’s much more to being a market trader than putting a bit of gear on a stall. The traders who do that last 10 minutes.

“What we need is all the people who put us down here at WNC to come and see for themselves how we’re doing. They’ve not been down here once. If they have they’ve hidden.”

Asked why he keeps on setting up his stall, Mick said: “I’ve done this since I was a 12-year-old kid. I started my own business when I was 19 in 1968 and worked until 69 but I missed it so much I came back. I love the town, I love the market and when I see the market being killed off the way it is; what the council has done here, they’ve betrayed the people of the town, the market traders and what for? Their own self esteem. I’m angry. The market belongs to the people of the town, not the council."

Asked for his thoughts on the £10m refurbishment of the Market Square, Mick said: “If they spent £500k on the market it would have looked no different than what it does after £10million. What they’ve done is got other people’s money and wasted it.

"Since I was a kid I’ve never seen such a shambles in my life – and I mean shambles. You could pick anyone off the street and do a better job to what they’ve done.

"They’ve not approached me about going back up. I don’t believe for one minute the market traders’ interests are at the top of the council’s priorities.

“I don’t think they’ve got it right. And if they don't get it right they’ll walk away from it, move to another job while we’re left holding the baby.

"All they had to do was to reduce the two town centre car parks to 30p an hour. If they sorted out the drunks and the druggies, as well, the town would be alive today.”

Asked about the new cabins at Market Square, Mick said: “They look absolutely awful. I could have gone down the garden centre and bought a summerhouse just as nice. I’ve got a beautiful summer house at home and it cost me £700 and it’s lasted me 30 years – I bet these cost more than £700.”

Les Brennan, owner at LJB Rutherfords, was also asked about what the reality is like at Commercial Street car park.

He said: “You get a few more traders on Fridays and Saturdays but they’re all one day a week traders. They’re not doing it for a living. If they are doing it for a living they must take a lot in one day.”

Asked about the Market Square refurbishment, Les said: “It looks fantastic. More than happy with the cabins, I’d definitely move into one if they're cost effective. Can’t wait to go back up there. We just have to wait, which is frustrating.

“We haven’t had a meeting with the council since January. We normally have one very two months but they’ve not bothered this time. So we’re just waiting to see what’s happening. We don’t know prices, who gets invited to the cabins or how it’s going to work. we don’t know nothing. Until they tell us we’re in limbo.”

Full-time food unit MG Butchers added: “We want to get away from here as quick as possible because we’re going into more debt every week. We’re losing money every day. Just look around, there’s no people.

“They won’t let us take our food van up there so we’ll have to give this away more or less. We’ll get what we can for it.”

A spokesperson for WNC said: "A meeting scheduled for March was cancelled in lieu of the individual conversations that will be taking place over the coming weeks. The next meeting will take on 22 April, which Cllr Lister is attending."The council said despite claims that traders have never seen Cllr Lister at the temporary market, he has in fact been to the site 'several times'.WNC confirmed that it will meet with traders on April 3 to discuss moving to the new-look £10m Market Square upon planned completion in the summer