Victoria Market: Government says traders' plight 'shocking'

Traders still operating in the market want a speedy resolution

The plight of traders at Nottingham's Victoria Centre Market has been branded "shocking" by the government.

Nottingham City Council said it may bring an end to the market's lease in a bid to save £39m over 50 years.

A final decision has not been made - more than 18 months after the plan was first made public.

Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, responding to a question raised by Gedling MP Tom Randall on the issue, said it was a "shocking situation".

The market opened in the shopping centre in 1972 and was once home to more than 200 stalls, but it now has just 31 traders, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council said it had been running the market at an annual trading loss since 2014, and had been forced to subsidise it at a cost of more than £1.5m.

'In limbo'

During business questions in the House of Commons on Thursday, Conservative MP for Gedling, Tom Randall, raised the concerns of a constituent who runs a stall in the market.

Rajesh Dhingra, the co-owner of Mona's Beauty Bar, said he had contacted Mr Randall having been left in "limbo" for the past 18 months.

He said he was sent a letter with a "menial compensation amount" and the amount "does not cover the costs of relocating".

Responding, Ms Mordaunt said: "It is a shocking situation that there is a lack of clarity around what is happening for stall holders.

"They want to be able to plan, to plan what they are doing next, if the market is going to be shut down and if that is the case they should be paid a fair rate."

Councillor Rebecca Langton, cabinet member for economic growth and development at Nottingham City Council, said an "in-principle agreement" had been reached with the vast majority of market traders.

"We are now reviewing the full costs of exiting from the market," she said. "Should a decision be made to close the market, a new timescale will be drawn up and relevant compensation will be completed in line with that timescale."