| September 09 |
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As retailers across the country are hit by the recession, the debate about the future of Watford Market has come at a particularly difficult time.
Watford has a charter to hold a market and somehow we just would not be the same without it. So I certainly hope that the Mayor’s 11th hour change of mind and acceptance that we need to keep an indoor market will come to fruition.
I am sure that the collection of nearly 9,000 signatures and a cross party campaign had a lot to do with this high speed reversal of policy. However, simply saying that a market will exist is just not enough and that is why the debate about where it is located, what its size and focus is and how many days it trades is so vitally important to guaranteeing its future.
I like and use Watford Market. It’s got a great meat stall – who does not know of Gibson’s sausages? It’s got a good selection of fruit and veg enticing passers by into the market entrance. Anyone who shops for fresh fish and seafood will always get great service from the stalls at the rear of the market.
But a really good market has to have the stalls that sell a range of things which are difficult or expensive to find elsewhere. I bought all the material for my wedding and bridesmaid dresses from Michael’s fabrics and even now I visit to buy material whenever needed. I know I can always find vacuum bags or haberdashery in the market. I see how popular the craft stall is for so many of my constituents. It’s not just a supplier of crafts but a social meeting place. I can guarantee too a great cup of tea and a bacon sandwich. If you use the market, you too will have your regular places to shop.
So if these are the gems in our market, then surely they need to be at the heart of any changes to it in the future. Frankly it’s current location and presentation is just not good enough and we all know it needs to change. Traders and market users have successfully, I hope, won the argument that we don’t want to move outside. We don’t mind the occasional visit to an outside market – but when we choose and not because we have to, just to get our weekly goods. The Mayor has cited the French and Italian markets as examples of how people will flock to Watford High Street to visit the stalls. I hope that will be true of a new outdoor and indoor market choice. All of us would welcome something that will bring extra people into our town to shop in the Harlequin and at an indoor market. But let’s not be under any illusion about the attraction of these speciality markets. They visit once and a while - they are not trying to trade three times a week in Watford. They sell novel and different foods which people may be prepared to buy on an occasional basis but I doubt they would spend around £3 on a loaf of bread at each visit. People are now cautious about what they spend and they are looking for value and quality.
Like the market traders, I want to work with the Council to see the right changes for our town. If there is one thing that I hope the Mayor and the Council will take from the campaign to Keep Watford Indoor Market it is that it’s far cheaper and more efficient to talk to the people who use these services directly. Commercial opinion surveys cant reach the parts that real community representatives can.
However, our campaign will not be over until we actually get our new indoor market, as part of a redeveloped and vibrant Charter Place. That should be a task for all those who wish to serve Watford and deliver the best.
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