'Struggling' traders feel neglected by council

Butcher Andy Bowley said he found out about uncertainty surrounding the levelling up funding for the Greyfriars and Eastgate Market revamp through the local press

"Struggling" market traders say they feel neglected by a council amid concerns closed stalls are putting off shoppers.

Stallholders at Eastgate Shopping Centre's indoor market feel they have been kept in the dark by Gloucester City Council's chiefs over the site's future.

Butcher Andy Bowley said traders have to rely on the press or word of mouth to find out about whether the building's revamp will be going ahead.

But a city council spokesperson said they have a market officer, who traders can direct questions to at their office on the market floor.

Another concerns is that some traders fear the council is "doing nothing with closed stalls", which give the appearance to passing shoppers that the market is closed, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

“That stall at the front has been closed for months and it hasn’t been emptied,” said Mr Bowley, who has been trading at the market for years.

“There are four empty stalls just there; they aren’t tidied up to look presentable to people.

"We are all struggling.”

Traders are concerned that empty stalls are warding off potential customers

Neale Hawley, who also has a stall, said theft is at "an all-time high".

“As soon as you get somebody strange walking in here you have to follow them because nine times out of ten, it’s a shoplifter," he said.

A council spokesperson said the authority has asked the "trader responsible for the shuttered stall near the entrance to remove all their items so that the shutters can be lifted to create a more welcoming environment to the market".

"This will be carried out within the next week," they added.

The council is expecting further details from the government on levelling up funding soon, which would have an impact on plans for the relocation of Eastgate Market.

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