Below is a response from Stockport Labour Group to the Council consultation on Stockport Market which was submitted on Friday 1st April:

The Labour Group initially wants to stress that for the proposals to attract the support of traders, shoppers or Councillors they need to be supported by evidence, both qualitative and quantitative, to ensure that what is being suggested is economically viable.

This has not been provided to date and this has made scrutiny of proposals, whether to move existing traders or introduce a new offer for the Market, by the public and elected members extremely difficult.

The comments below represent the collective view of the 21 Labour Councillors on Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council.

1) Previous Investment

Over recent years the Council has invested significant resources in order to improve and promote Stockport Market and our historic Market Place more generally. Whilst some of this investment has been well utilised to improve the appearance of the Market, some has been less successful than it could have been and this needs to be recognised when approaching any new plan for change.

Alongside the successful development of events such as specialist markets on Sunday and Friday evenings, we recognise that there is a need for more change in the Market but that this needs to be sustainable and right for the people of Stockport in the long-term.

Discussions need to be a two-way process that reflect the need for change and take into account that parts of the market currently require a level of public subsidy from local taxpayers which cannot be an option in the future.

By 2020 the bleak financial picture forecast for Local Government means that Councils will rely almost exclusively on income from Council Tax and Business Rates. This means Stockport needs thriving businesses in the Market Place to help in supporting services for vulnerable local people.

The Labour Group would be particularly interested to see specific and detailed consideration given as to the extent to which the Market’s problem is actually its current location. Consideration of this should be in isolation from any assessment of other issues like hours of operation or the available product offer. That may allow any future investment which is planned to be targeted in a way which would prove more successful and yield greater benefits.

2) Food and Drink Offer

Whilst we acknowledge that the number of people using the Market on a regular basis has declined, and that this is making trading conditions increasingly difficult for some market traders and other businesses in the area, before significant change it is important to consult those affected and to base any plan on a sound evidential footing.

Stockport Labour Group is unconvinced that either of these things has happened adequately to date. Specifically on the proposal to relocate traders to make way for a high-end food and drink offer similar to that on offer in Altrincham, no business case has been produced to show how this would be economically viable in Stockport.

The Labour Group cannot support a food and drink proposal for the Covered Market Hall without, at the very least, concrete evidence that there will be sufficient demand for it, and that this demand is worth more than the continued use of the hall as a traditional Market.

We would expect to see a detailed and proper business case to support the Council’s view. This cannot simply be vague assurances that because this approach has worked in Altrincham it will automatically work in here.

3) Wider Regeneration Strategy

The Council has a significant wider regeneration strategy, including major developments at Stockport Exchange and Redrock and other planned interventions in the local retail sector. We remain unconvinced that these are joined up well enough though, or that they are examples of public and private investment working together in tandem with each other.

As part of an overall strategic approach the Labour Group would like an objective assessment to take place as to why the Council thinks a different kind of product offer the Market will generate higher levels of regular customers, especially when recognising that businesses in Stockport Town Centre must respond to changing retail trends and the impact of technology like all others.

This consultation should address the future needs of Stockport residents, and more detail as to how the new offer ‘will act as an anchor point for the wider Market Place and Underbanks area, and will encourage more people to visit the town, seven days a week’ needs to be forthcoming.

4) Alternative Options

Traders themselves agree that something needs to be done to help revive the Market, and the Labour Group feels it should be possible to work in partnership to agree on how this change looks rather than dictate which option should be adopted.

We agree that Stockport must learn lessons from successful markets elsewhere in the North-West, including a review of hours and days of operation and the offer available for consumers, but feel that the available options have not been properly assessed.

Any solution proposed must take into account the needs of the individual businesses, including exploring the possibility of trader operation of the Market and whether this is a viable option which is worthy of deeper consideration.

5) Consultation Process

The ‘consultation’ webpage states that ‘Stockport Council want to listen to the views of residents, businesses and community groups about Stockport Market.’

Whilst some of the questions asked are fair and open for stakeholders to provide detailed views, a consultation process which immediately prompts some of the businesses it would affect to launch a rival document cannot be seen to have public confidence or be fit for purpose.

Stakeholder objections need to be properly listened to and debated and the Council should be consistent in reflecting both the spirit and letter of guarantees that have been made to traders since the original proposals were published in the autumn of 2015.

In addition, it should be noted that the consultation has been conducted over Easter and over an extremely short period of time, less than a month, which is not sufficient for proposals of this magnitude.

There are also concerns about the limited consultation with local residents who live on or near the Market and would, for example, be more heavily impacted by 6 day operation. These are all factors which should be considered when the consultation process closes.

Summary

Labour Councillors represent the ward which covers Stockport Market and we are passionate about the Market and the role which it has to play for our town going forward.

We would request that the points raised above are considered, as should all views submitted to either of the consultation processes which are ongoing, before any permanent and irreversible decision is made about the future of what is an historic asset for our borough.

In light of the flaws in the process to date highlighted above, future dialogue between the Council and Traders needs to separate which assertions being made are based on evidence and which are not.

An evidence-based full business case should be the only rationale for making a decision on ensuring that our historic Market has a long and sustainable future and is the asset which the people of Stockport deserve it to be.