Market traders say they should come first over Victorian Fayre

A trade war has broken out in Newbury.

Charter market traders are ‘furious’ and ‘disgusted’ at being asked to make way for a Victorian Christmas Fayre on one Saturday in December.

More fuel was poured on the fire in the form of a letter to them from Newbury Town Council wrongly saying the charter market had been cancelled that day (December 3).

The town council has since admitted the letter was a mistake, saying that traders were "perhaps angrier than they might have been if given all the information".

Town councillors faced a ‘frosty’ group of traders in person on Saturday to explain they would be given the chance to move into Bartholomew Street, along with marketing help and leaflets to enable them to advise their customers of the temporary shift in location.

But the charter market traders are furious and say their existing customers will not find them, and that being moved to make way for the Victorian Fayre will lose them business.

“I could lose up to £500 in sales,” said Emily Giles of Newbury Bookshelf.

“We have the right to trade here, and feel we are being moved out in favour of money. We are really disgusted by this and we are fighting for the survival of our market.

“This is our livelihood. Why should we have to move?”

The rumpus kicked off at Newbury Town Council last week, as it voted for a proposal from Newbury Business Improvement District (BID) to hold four events in the town over weekends, one of which being the Victorian Christmas Fayre planned for December 3 and 4.

A survey of charter market traders showed a unanimous no to the move, prompting the council to opt for one event as a ‘test’ event.

The impasse has put the town council, which is the charter market landlord, between a rock and a hard place.

“We very much value the market and we want a thriving market in Newbury,” said council leader Martin Colston (Lib Dem, West Fields). "We are trying to support the traders, although it seems they may not feel that way.

“But we also want to do things which benefit Newbury as a whole, and the Victorian Fayre will bring people into the town. We feel there must be a way for everyone to be happy. We do believe these big events are good for the town and we also want a successful market.”

But the opposition Green Party on the town council says the charter market must come first.

“We have nothing against the BID,” said David Marsh (Green, Wash Common). “But we feel that the market should be given priority. Traders are dismayed and feel betrayed by the council.”

Newbury was first mentioned as being a town with permission to hold a market and fair in as far back as 1079, almost 1,000 years ago.

The council will survey traders again after Christmas and reassess the BID’s proposals for four events then.