One of the main reasons I have for visiting Bury is the wonderful twice weekly market. Where else can you fine such a variety of goods and local produce in such a compact area?

It is a good market. One of the best I've been to but I'd be interested to see the figures for how many regular stalls have stopped coming. There seem to be more gaps than before the new shopping centre started being built. Perhaps they should have a period of free rent to encourage them to come back?

The market is very good. It is hard to say how well it is doing but it always seems busy. If you listen to the people on the fruit and veg stalls then things are very bad but if you listen to the Council then it is doing very well! Probably because one wants rents to go down and the other wants them to go up.

Or just maybe one group knows what they are talking about, and can count the cash at the end of the day, and the other dont have a clue, and make statements based on little or no facts. Most local people recongise the positive benefit the fruit and veg market has to the town, any thing we can do, or pressure others or make the decisions to do should be encouraged. After all some of us remember when there was a cattle and dead stock market, a time when there were more stalls and people.

Although I'm rarely on the Council's side the market traders do have it pretty easy. They turn up when they want, they can go if it is raining, they don't pay business rates on their pitch, they have relatively little stock holding and what they do have can be kept in storage rather than a prime site and most of all their rents really are very low. I agree we should promote the market but we need more high quality stalls and that could mean higher rents to get rid of the people selling cheap tat.

Colin I suggust you spend a day on a market stall, Its hard work out side in ALL conditions, no warm office, telephone, hot and cold water, toilets and chairs to rest on, the days are long and if the customers dont turn up or dift away then why not close early. Most of these folks work a 6 day week just to make a profit.The Stock risk is greater than a retail outlet of the same type, and the work conditions far different. I was lucky enough to "work "the markets in my youth 30 odd years ago and its far from what you sem to image. One way to avoid "tat" an element of all markets is to create demand for the site which in turn drives the customers. Far from increasing rents we should be activly considering lowering them to attrach a greater number of stalls.

People seem to buy 'tat' though. You've seen the crowds in town on a wed and sat, entirely the markets doing, people go looking for bargains. Now, of course, the council are slowly going to ruin it.

The thing that we all should do is back the market and traders as much a possible. When I was younger I used to work on the market in Newmarket, which was extremely busy and an exciting place to work. There should be a mix of stalls high & low value to attract everybody. If we do not support our local traders we might end up with a market as good as Newmarket (last count 5 stalls!!)

Picking up this thread from the summer, the market is so very very important, it doesn`t help the shops as anyone with sense doesnt come into town to shop on market days, same as in Newmarket retail sales are not brilliant on markets days, its well know crumblies come in on the bus and dont use the shops very much. That said divesity of wares, lively colourful stalls, and shouting stallholders are a wonderful sight and sound, so long live markets and market towns.

Whatever happened to the guys that used to chuck china in the air in our markets and where are the yells and shouts of years ago ? Always facinated as to why the china didnt smash and loved the comments which were almost to the point of rude that made everyone laugh. I loved the market as a child apart from having to carry bags of fruit home on the bus..carrier bags cutting fingers to ribbons.

I think the market should be encouraged to expanded along Abbeygate even into Hatter because its a wide street it could be the craft market or something ? After all the christmas fayre attracted many visitors, if everyone knew Bury market was the place to come maybe the shops would earn more on market days, maybe parking prices reduced on markets days too would bring in visitors ?

sits back and awaits the flack ! sally

Spot on Sally, no flack coming from me, the market is far smaller and less diverse than it was when I was a kid, and no where near as "good" as when I worked the markets during the summer holidays back in the ++s, adding a craft market is a good call. When and if our local council officials can see beyond their pensions and salaries we may see more reasonable parking charges rather than the creeping taxation we currently have. Parking charges could be zero from my point of few and if we lose 20 council officials then so be it. Harsh reality but about time we rate payers saw some benefits for our hard earned taxes. ( try and argue against that Mr farmer). Flack expected bring it on about time we had a debate.......