Newcastle's Grainger Market a drain on city, report says

Traders say renovation work is not happening quickly enough to bring in new customers

Massive rent arrears and over-running repairs have made Newcastle's 19th Century Grainger Market a "drain" on city resources, a report has warned.

Council bosses say that it is costing them £300,000 a year to keep the city centre market running.

The pandemic has left traders with a combined debt of more than £500,000 in rent arrears to Newcastle City Council.

Traders said renovation works needed to be completed soon to bring in customers.

The Grainger Market, which opened in 1835, hosts independent food and retail units, cafes, as well as traditional greengrocers, butchers and fishmongers.

In 2020 traders previously criticised the council for refusing to cut rent payments for their stalls, even when they were forced to shut during lockdown and had no source of income.

However, independent businesses struggling to pay their arrears have been told they will be given time to pay.

'Time and support'

The council confirmed that traders' Covid arrears for 2020 and 2021 built up to £575,000.

Michell Percy, the council's director of place, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that although the authority had "to balance the books" it also did not want to lose stallholders.

She said: "The traders are not refusing to pay, they are just saying that they need some time and support."

Newcastle City Council hopes ongoing renovations will help the market become a thriving hub

Council officials also hope multimillion-pound upgrades paid for by £7m from the government's Levelling Up Fund - supplemented with £2m from the council - will see the famous market become a thriving, profitable hub once again.

Leslie Armstrong, who runs the Scented Melts stall, said she felt there had been "no offer of support" from the council.

She added: "Unless there is substantial investment in the next six months, I will not be here after Christmas."

Bills for restoring the market's roof have spiralled above £5m as the project has dragged more than two years behind schedule.

A council spokesman said: "We have invested significant sums in the fabric of the building to put it on a sustainable footing so it remains a part of the cultural and retail offer of the city centre for many generations to come."