Under the Lib-Dem plans for downsizing Northampton Market, some traders at the bottom of the market (nearest Abington Street) are being kicked out of positions they have held for many years, in some cases 20, 30, and even 40 years.
This means many traders will be shoved into totally unsuitable positions because there will be nowhere else to put them. Other traders are being asked to take less stalls than they do now, to make room for traders displaced by the move. This means less rent for Lib-Dem Northampton Borough Council, but as the council have been given a million pounds to 'improve' the Market Square, it is not too worried about less rent at the moment.
The traders' plans would have given the council considerably more rent, but it chucked those plans out because Councillor Richard (cafe culture) Church wants a bigger 'events area' in the bottom half of the marketplace. As the council already has an events area in the bottom south-west quadrant of the Market Square and made a loss of around £45,000 in its first year of operation, questions have been raised about whether it intends to lose at least £90,000 when it gets twice the space.
Chronicle & Echo 29/01/2009
