Minutes:
The market traders are grateful for the support of Walworth Councillors and Valerie Shawcross, AM. The Association of Market Traders was founded in 1923, and is still running.
Traders are not against change; but not change for change’s sake: they would not want to see a change to the ‘5 away’ rule ie that no stall can offer the same goods as another within 5 pitches of a stall. This rule gives the public a wide range of goods. Unfortunately, the shops in East Street all sell the same thing: meat, vegetables and mobile phones. The shops themselves are sometimes subdivided when there really is not enough room for two shops.
The Association represents all markets in Southwark. There is talk of a new market in East Dulwich, which has been described as sucessful, inasmuch as there are 20 stalls on 1 day of the week. East Street market, however, is a proper community market.
Mr Wallington was disturbed that large numbers of letters written to the Council were not responded to within the 10 working days laid down in the Council’s standards for correspondance, and there alsowere delays in returning phone calls. Market traders are feeling ignored by the Council, when what traders want is help to make East Street market the premier street market in London. To achieve this, involvement, dialogue and committment are requested from the Council.
The Council has employed consultants to produce a strategic review of markets. This was produced in January 2009, but nothing has been heard since. The traders agreed with much that was in the review, and did not want it ignored. The Association itself produced a business plan some years ago, which was ignored by the Council.
The Council should prioritise East Street, and then go on to assist in starting markets in Peckham and Dulwich. Please work with the traders, as the market has been in existence since 1880, it was formerly in the Walworth Road, but had to be moved when the trams came in. Mr Wallington said that his grandfather, father, himself and his son had been market traders, but his son now did other work. Other long-term traders are also leaving.