Expanding the market and encouraging it to diversify sounds like a good idea to me. The market is an essential part of what helps keep the town unique(ish). Problem is that it needs brave entrepreneurial types to take the plunge – and that’s definitely not me. Didn’t the late lamented HAGA start off from a market stall before they opened their shop in St Johns Street?

I use the market to source fruit, veg, eggs and plants rather then use the supermarkets - if people don’t use it they will loose it.

I am in a bit of a quandary when it comes to car parking. If the BFP is correct the council are looking to increase parking charges and I feel that approach will drive (pun not intended) shoppers elsewhere.

On the other hand I do have difficulties with calls for council employees to be made redundant to finance car parking. I appreciate that the council should be efficient as possible and I dislike the high council taxes we pay but council employees are people like you and me. They have partners, families, mortgages and bills like the rest of us; I just don’t think some people should be thrown out of work so that other people (who have enough resource to run a car) can enjoy free parking.

So basically I want my cake and to eat it.

p.s. I am not a council employee or civil servant. I work in private industry so have no vested interest in maintaining public sector jobs.

Completely agree Indy, I'm not sure what all the fuss was about. From reading the local papers it was as though a decision to privatise it had already been made.

The word on the street, was that this deal had already been agreed, with local officials having made the decision, the local press may have guilded the lilly a bit, but the elected councilors "called it in" and have now regained control, lets wait and see wahat happens.
Owning a car is not a luxury, and certainly not for the folk that live on bury estates and out in the villages, My argument is with increased charges, and the attitude at council offices to spending our money. Council employees are real people with real lives, I accept this, but over the last few years they have been protected from the events in the private sector, and economy at large. I tend to agree that free parking should not be at the expense of a council job, but that just maybe we could cut budgets rather than expand them, with man power being the greatest expense posts would have to go, or not created, with existing people working harder for the same amount of cash, and poorer pensions. harsh I know buts it my and your money they are spending. I want cake, good quality cake with choclate and chunks, and I want it at a "fair price" I also want the choice to shop else where if its poor value.


Oh sorry this post is about the market, got carried away

Hey there, I'm totally new to this forum so hello everyone, first of all. I've lived in Bury for the vast majority of my life and I've always loved the market. I regularly stock up on fruit and veg (particularly from the excellent 'pound a bowl' stalls), the excellent coffee stall and the lovely bread and cake stalls. It doesn't seem to have as many stalls as it used to though. Definitely. I remember when I went there as a kid, there would always be a man in a little yellow donut hut? Does anyone else remember him?

There was also, more recently, a stall that did second-hand records and some vintage clothing. Haven't seen that in a while... Or maybe it's moved and I haven't found it. They do that sometimes. You can always get a vacuum cleaner and some foam, though! There's always seems to have been LOADS of foam on Bury Market or is that just me?

My personal favourite market trader is the flower guy outside Natwest who says 'all the colours of the rainbow'...

Hi MintyC I am new on here too. I remember the doughnut man, I'm not sure when he stopped coming but think it was around the late 90s. I remember the greasy little paper bags they would come in too

Welcome MintyC and PercyPig glad you could join in. We do seem to have lost quite a few stalls, over the last couple of decades, the printed T shirt strand, the general store caravan oppisite MS, the Ben Sherman shirts, the shoes and doc martins stands, and the winter parkers to name a few, but on the other hand we have gained a few, the bread stall, the chesse stand, and a stall to unlock your mobile phone ?. On the whole the offerinng has changed as the retail enviroment has changed, but we still have a market, with plenty of choice for fruit and veg, long may it continue.

There have been some good new stalls come along like Buryboy says. The rare breeds meat stall , the bread stall and the pork place outside Palmers are my favourites. It's like shops, they come and go.

Hi, will be coming to the market this saturday,
does anyone know if the mobile phone unlocker stall will be open then?
THANKS.