Traders 'could have felt differently' about St Johns Market future

A former market trader has recalled the devastation of having to relocate his family business from St Johns Market after six decades in the city centre venue. In March, traders were left standing outside the city centre trading point after Liverpool Council officers locked the doors over unpaid rents.

Among the businesses made to leave was Ravi Soni’s shop that had been in place since the 72-year-old helped his dad set up the stall when he was just 10. He told the ECHO he was doubtful the market would return as originally found.

While no formal decision has been taken on the future of the site, Cllr Nick Small, Liverpool Council, cabinet member for growth and economy, said he does not expect traders to return to St Johns in future. Cllr Small defended the decision by the city to remove the stalls over the more than £2m owed by businesses.

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Last Autumn, the city council said it would seek to recover three years’ worth of debt from the traders that occupied the market. In 2016, £2.5m was spent to renovate the site but proved unpopular, even with then Mayor Joe Anderson, who initially offered traders three, then six months free rent as an incentive to stay and increase footfall.

Around £1m a year was being spent to subsidise the market by the city council. Further investigations by officers found arrears incurred by dozens of businesses had risen from an initially established £1.7m to £2.1m.

It is understood the additional money identified by the council is made up of arrears owing to a small number of traders. This is made up of some leaving the market before the end of their official agreement with the council and some businesses occupying two units while only being officially listed as operating one.

Since being locked out, Mr Soni has been able to set up a new site next to St Johns and reflected on the challenges in the six months that had passed, given his long association with the market. He said: “I wasn’t able to trade and it took me a long time to find a new place.

“I don’t think a lot is going to happen with it now. It felt planned (the closure) by the council. We didn’t hear anything after covid about rent and then we went into mediation. We offered to pay through legal entities.”

Mr Soni said he felt like there had been a lack of consultation with traders about the future of the markets as their leases lapsed in 2021. He added: “It was devastating and at the time my wife was going through a major operation. It was horrible.

“If they had said to us they had plans for it and gave us time to sell our stock and move on, then maybe we’d have felt differently about it. It’s just the way they (the council) went about it.”

Cllr Nick Small, Liverpool Council cabinet member for growth and economy, said he felt the market was in “the wrong location” and defended the decision the city council had made. He said: “We had to do what we did, nobody wanted to be in the position we found ourselves in but we did the right thing for taxpayers and the future of markets in Liverpool.

“They’re in a strong position, you look at Stanley Park, St George’s Hall and the announcement we had for Greatie, they’re going from strength to strength and are fit for purpose for the future.”