Market traders' rent cut plea turned down

Most rents have been frozen, but stallholders’ car parking costs will rise from £392 to £520 a year.

The new charges will increase Rotherham Borough Council’s market income by £22,366 annually, the authority estimates.

Thirty-four traders signed a letter in September asking the council to consider a rent reduction because town centre marches were cutting customer numbers.

The group, which asked for six-month fees reduction, said older members of the community and families in particular had been put off visiting the markets.

RMBC figures show the total markets footfall from January to October as 3.3 million people — down 6.5 per cent on last year.

The council said accepting the plea for a fees reduction would cost the authority £80,000 and it was rejected by commissioner Julie Kenny.

A report said: “It is accepted that the challenges facing the town centre are not insignificant and footfall across the wider town centre has been affected by events in the last 18 months.

“The number of marches and demonstrations over a concentrated period has been cited by many retailers as one of the main issues affecting business in 2015.

“It is not considered that this level of incentive for a six month period would meaningfully help a business improve its sustainability and trading performance and is unlikely to retain any vulnerable businesses.”

The occupancy rate at Rotherham Markets is 87 per cent, down from 96 per cent in 2012. Typical indoor rents are £429 a month, compared with £433 in both Sheffield and Doncaster.

The council says the extra income from markets matches the higher running costs from “increased security, staffing and contractual costs”.

Rotherham’s Tuesday market was the fourth busiest of 84 across the UK surveyed for a study by Manchester Metropolitan University found.