Councillors To Discuss Market Options: Investment, Outsource Management or Sell Off

The future of Wrexham’s two indoor markets which are due to remain under control of Wrexham Council will be debated next week – with traders asking for investment.

On Tuesday afternoon members of the Employment, Business and Investment Scrutiny Committee will discuss the potential options for the running of the Butchers Market and the General Market.

The discussion comes off the back of substantial changes to Wrexham’s Markets – with the Executive Board passing proposals to convert the People’s Market into a ‘fit for purpose, 21st Century Market/Arts Hub’.

As part of the the proposals the People’s Market and Carpark will being gifted to the forthcoming ‘Trust’ that will run the town’s forthcoming Arts Hub / Market, leaving the Butchers and the General Markets to be considered along with the outdoor market and nine town centre shops on Henblas Street.

The report going before Councillors (which includes an appendix with financial information) considers the interim period before the Arts Hub opens, but then looks at the subsequent period when just the Butchers and General will be under Council control.

Three basic options are on the table, with the Scrutiny Committee then picking one (or creating their own options) to put forward to the Council’s Executive Board:

Option 1 – Investment and direct management;
Option 2 – Outsource Management; and
Option 3 – Transfer of ownership to the private sector

Traders views are recorded high up in the report: “Out of the 17 market traders consulted, 13 expressed a preference for Option 1, with one trader opting for Option 2 and another declaring no interest in any of the proposed options. Two remain unreturned. Based on these figures, out of the returned responses (15) 87% of traders favour Option 1 going forward.”

The report explains how independent external contractors have recently undertook detailed inspections of the two Victorian Markets (General and Butchers) to ascertain future maintenance liabilities, with a ‘comprehensive Building Survey and a separate Mechanical Survey’ being undertaken in February – although it is noted further inspection could be required.

The assessment was the overall condition was deemed satisfactory or good, with £5,000 worth of immediate work being required. Looking forward over the next five years a ‘comprehensive’ refurbishment is mooted, to bring the standard to ‘excellent’. The current estimated cost of these works are “in the region of £128,000 for the General Market and £290,000 for the Butchers’ market.”

Reflecting cuts across the Authority the report says the wage bill of £116k of staff funded by the three markets is ‘not sustainable in the long term’ and ‘changes to staff structures are in the process of being implemented’ with streamlining required.

Option 1 is explained as ownership, management and operation retained by the Council itself, however the other two options provide a different view on how the markets could be operated.

Option 2 would see a third party company, or self created Community Interest Company, run the markets with the Council just the landlords. A company called Geraud is referred to as an example of such an entity who run markets in Brixton, Glasgow, Stratford-on-Avon, Hulme.

Option 3 explains how the Butchers and General market could be sold off as a going concern. Retention of market activity could be protected, as the report notes: “A restrictive covenant within any agreement that would require buildings to be retained as markets for a specified minimum number of years.” Wrexham.com notes we have sat in a meeting recently where it was explained Wrexham Council themselves had previously attempted, unsuccessful, to overturn a covenant on the Groves site, so such protections are challengeable.

In the conclusion of the report it states: “The Town centre indoor Markets represent a unique asset in terms of the retail offer for the Wrexham. However, they require significant investment and management issues can be time consuming to resolve.”

Over the past few years the future of the Wrexham Markets has been uncertain, with a ‘reinvigoration‘ and ‘overhaul‘ previously being proposed, but never actually coming to fruition. In the past 18 months much of the uncertainty has surrounded the position of the People’s Market / Arts Hub and where the new development leaves the two indoor markets.

Wrexham has a fine history of being a market town since 1327, and the meeting next week will likely lay the groundwork to discover if and where the appetite lies on the town’s unique asset.

Of course all three indoor markets and the outdoor market remain open for business – so why not pop down and see what’s on offer!