‘Traders will end up paying for market revamp’

8:15am Saturday 17th November 2012 in Letters By Reader's letter

LABOUR plans a £1.2 million facelift for Newgate Market at a time of considerable austerity. Is it necessary? Is it affordable? And is it what stallholders really want?

I doubt it if they knew how much extra they will end up having to pay in vastly increased rents. And pay up they will certainly have to do – big time!

We all want them as business people to enjoy the fruits of success, but not to be driven out of business.

Labour, of course, is going out to consultation. They always do, but for sure they won’t listen – they never do, as past events have proved.

So market traders beware. Beware the need to borrow £1.2 million. Beware the need for it to have to be repaid with interest. And beware the inevitable need to load you with a whopping great rent increase to pay for it all.

Ask the Labour-run City of York Council now what your rent rise is likely to be after the £1.2 million has been spent. I’ll bet you don’t get a straight answer.

Coun George Barton, Conservative, Wheldrake ward.

Comments(6)

old_geezer says...
10:00am Sat 17 Nov 12

I saw this in another town - nearly 20 years ago, thriving market forcibly moved into splendiferous new building which nobody wanted except the council leader, despite being universally warned. It duly sank inexorably, ever emptier, and closed earlier this year. Ever-greater annual subsidies over the last few years, and splendiferous building forlornly awaits developer.

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ColdAsChristmas says...
12:15am Sun 18 Nov 12

You can bet that this is one reason why our Council tax will rise.
But borrowing money is not the monopoly of the Labour party. The Conservative led Coalition are just as bad.
I wonder what the scrap value of the Council's defunct wind turbine was?

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keepitshut says...
8:37am Mon 19 Nov 12

ColdAsChristmas wrote:
You can bet that this is one reason why our Council tax will rise. But borrowing money is not the monopoly of the Labour party. The Conservative led Coalition are just as bad. I wonder what the scrap value of the Council's defunct wind turbine was?
Do you mean the wind turbine at the Ecodepot?

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Buzz Light-year says...
12:47pm Mon 19 Nov 12

Yes he does.
Come on keepitshut you have insider gen.
Tell him what happened to it and then he can stop boring us all with his questions.
And promptly start boring us with his crowing...

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keepitshut says...
5:47pm Mon 19 Nov 12

The wind turbine at the Eco depot was taken down earlier this year (the mast is still in place, the propeller things are in storage)
When the eco-depot first opened they wanted the turbine to basically "tower" over the depot, however, due to planning issues and local residents raising concerns about the "noise" the propellers would make on windy days it had to be scaled down in height.
So, basically, the turbine at its "scaled down" height didnt catch the wind thus not generating the power it should have done if it was at its original pre planning/residents concerns height.
That, i believe, is why it isnt in place at the moment.

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Malcolm says...
11:06pm Wed 21 Nov 12

So what exactly would the Tories do for the market traders then, George?

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