MARKET traders of one kind or another have sold their wares in Barrow since Victorian times.
The shape and location of the markets have changed over the decades, but some readers will remember the huge and legendary indoor market hall of the post-war years which is fondly remembered today in monochrome pictures on local history websites.
But the memories of what’s happened over the past few days won’t be quite as sweet because as I write this column – and as many of you will know – the future of Barrow Market is by no means certain.
A week last Friday, a water leak was found in the meat hall where previously there had been problems with asbestos.
The following Tuesday, 11 market traders – plus Cando FM Radio – were given their marching orders.
The notice was so short traders were left fuming, with emotions being a mixture of anger and bewilderment.
Cando journalists have been relocated in Barrow’s Nan Tait Centre – for technical reasons not something they were relishing – but as of last Friday it was still uncertain where the traders were going to end up.
Credit must go to the Barrow BID team for springing into action when news broke that the traders had been ordered to get out.
I’m incredibly proud of the way so many ordinary people rallied to the cause and helped to move everyone out of the mall.
I’ve been in touch with Westmorland and Furness Council to ask them how they are going to support the businesses in the coming weeks and months.
But what angers me is that it didn’t need to be this way, and we shouldn’t have arrived at this point.
We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform Barrow town centre which is backed by £200m investment from our Labour government and the innovative Team Barrow partnership.
We must get this right.
But I’m increasingly concerned at the lack of urgency from Westmorland and Furness council.
This dithering could lead to us losing important businesses, community services and vital town institutions that will be virtually impossible to replace.
The inconvenient truth is the council had known since last June that we are very likely to need an interim space for the market and to replace the Forum.
The money’s there and plenty of options are available.
We simply should not be in a position where the council is giving market traders just hours to clear their stock and with no plan where they can move to.
This latest episode follows the missed bin collections shambles at Christmas – for which the council has apologised – but there have been repeated problems and other issues where a lack of maintenance or required contracts were missed; basic services that are the foundation of running the local authority for its residents.
In the meantime, the Heart of Barrow town centre transformation project needs to start gathering pace and the council must stop delaying the work of Team Barrow and be a lot sharper in telling people what’s going on.