Blackburn Market stallholders threaten closures after being refused bus station compensation

In June, half the traders sent a petition to the borough calling for financial help because of lost income.

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They say the losses were caused by the failure of the transport complex to open on schedule in January.

Last week protest leaders were told by Blackburn with Darwen Council regeneration director Brian Bailey and markets commercial manager David Smith no cash assistance would be given. The decision is set to be rubber stamped by a meeting of the borough’s ruling executive board on Thursday.

The refusal has angered stallholders and protest leaders Lyndsey Place of ‘Parcels and Post’ and Sharon Cosgrove of ‘Fur and Feathers’ said traders were now ready to take co-ordinated action.

They said many market traders would now hold a string of day-long closures of their stalls in protest at the council’s response.

All market traders are allowed 14 days a year when they can voluntarily close their stalls for ‘personal reasons’ such as bereavements, holidays, and family occasions without breaking their contract.

Normally, they would find alternative staff to keep their stalls open but now they plan to take the permitted days off together and close large parts of the market at the same time, possibly on a weekly basis.

One trader, Mohammed Sabbir, said he will close his MSB computers stall because he can no longer afford to stay in business.

The threat is a headache for new council executive member for regeneration Phil Riley who on June 4 sacked original main contractors Thomas Barnes over the delays to the bus station and who last week appointed Eric Wright, the firm building the £33 million Cathedral Quarter, to take over.

They started work on the complex last week with a December completion date.

On Thursday the executive board has been recommended to confirm refusal of the stallholders’ call for rent and service charge reductions to compensate them for the bus station delays and loss of trade caused by other town centre developments and roadworks.

The agenda item says footfall figures from the Mall do not support their claims of lost customers and no accounts have been provided to support their claims.

Instead the council will offer business advice to traders, regular meetings with their representatives in future, better signage and promotional advertising.

Mrs Cosgrove said: “This is not good enough. We have a point to make which they have ignored.

“If they will not give us compensation, a large group of traders will co-ordinate the days we can close for personal reasons to close a large part of the market.

“Offering us business advice is an insult. Closing our stalls will save costs.”

Mrs Place said: “We are very angry. It’s not just the bus station it’s all the other works in the town centre and on the main roads into Blackburn.

“We have these 14 days we can close and we are ready to use them together to shut much of the market to get our message across.

“We just cannot afford to go on. Our trade has dropped sharply and we need compensation.

“They have asked Eric Wright to work overtime so they have money to spare.”

Fellow traders Shazad Ahmed, of Glamorous Clothing, and John Toole, of Jack’s Fabrics, said they were ready to join a co-ordinated campaign of weekly closures.

Mr Sabbir said: “I have given in my notice and will leave later this month. There is just not enough trade for me to continue.”

Malcolm Marsden, owner of Whitakers butchers, said: “We are very angry. I have lost tens of thousands of pounds in the last year. It looks like we are wasting our time with the council.”

Cllr Riley said: “We are confident that Eric Wright can complete the bus station by the new December deadline and that the total cost will not exceed the original budget.

“We are expecting them to motor on with this project as fast as possible.”

He declined to comment on the traders’ threat to launch a campaign of co-ordinated weekly day long stall closures.