MARKET traders in Ashbourne are pinning their hopes on a groundswell of support from customers in the town to prevent the closure of the mid-week market.
Recommendations to close the Thursday market in Ashbourne were made as part of a year-long review into the stall markets managed by Derbyshire Dales District Council.
Those recommendations will now be put forward to the Partnership and Regeneration Committee for further debate on Thursday, February 23.
It is expected that the recommendations, which also include a five per cent increase of fees and charges for traders, will be subject to further public consultation before a final decision is made.
However, while traders are relying on a groundswell of support for the market, figures show the Thursday trade brings an average income of only £296 each week for the district council.
And, shoppers who regularly use the market have yet to speak out in support.
A district council online survey which was widely advertised last year received only 19 responses from across the district to questions about the stall markets.
Market trader, Vic Thorpe, said: “They want to try and close us down, but we will try to stay.
“What we would benefit from is an open meeting that everyone can go to.
“A lot of the customers that we speak to say they will support us, but if it was well publicised they might go to a meeting.
“The market needs all the help it can get.
It’s our livelihoods, so if it closes we have got to find an alternative market to replace it.” Traders who will lose out should Ashbourne’s Thursday market close will be encouraged to attend on Saturdays, or to consider Wirksworth market instead.
Other recommendations in the report include a two-weeks-free incentive scheme to encourage stallholders to sign up as licensed traders, the development of a marketing strategy for the stall markets and improvements to signs for markets and parking.
