Search for third party operator for outdoor market 'to give it a chance'

Nic Marko & Jade McElwee
·2-min read
Fruit and Veg stall
-Credit: (Image: Manchester Evening News)


Council chiefs are to look to transfer the management of Hartlepool's weekly outdoor market to an external company in a bid to support businesses and generate new traders.

Hartlepool Council bosses said they hope the decision will "help the market thrive" and ensure its "future sustainability". However should no third party come forward able to operate the market a report will come back before councillors proposing to give traders notice of an intention to close it.

The Thursday market is currently managed by the council, but officers noted the number of stallholders has dwindled since the pandemic with "no signs of interest" from other businesses. Local authority staff explained there has previously been "lots of efforts" to attract new traders without success and there are no dedicated officers allocated to the market, meaning there is no scope to grow the event.

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Councillors at the latest meeting of the adult and community based services committee therefore unanimously backed a recommendation to seek a third party operator for the site. They agreed should this be unsuccessful a report would then go before councillors looking to shut the market, which officers noted is "not achieving its income target".

Labour's Councillor Gary Allen, committee chair, said: "This isn't a plan to close the market, it's a plan to help the market thrive, for future sustainability, to give the market a chance. As it stands if we leave it, it will just peter out, and we have to try."

Council officers said they hope to make progress "in the next three to four months" and they will now engage with traders before going out to seek interested parties. Local authority reports stated the intention is the new operator would take over the market without a break in trading and operate for a minimum of 50 weeks a year, while allowing current holders to continue trading.

Other options on the table were for the council to keep managing the market but ask traders to dispose of waste at their own cost or giving traders notice of the intention to close the market. Based on the average number of attendees the current income target for the market of £27,757 is unachievable, with the most recent year seeing £17,550 actual income generated, according to officers.

The market is held 50 weeks of the year in the West Side Car Park behind York Road.

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