Council Committed To Spilsby Market

East Lindsey District Council has confirmed that the market will continue in Spilsby, but control may be handed to the Town Council.

For the past year, East Lindsey District Council has been reviewing the way it operates and promotes their markets in recognition of their high running costs.

At present the four markets across the East Lindsey, which includes the Spilsby Market on a Monday, are costing the Council around £63,000 per year to support – a cost that it believes can be reduced through better promotion, a closer working relationship with the Traders and also better and more efficient operational arrangements by the Council.

One option being considered is to hand the management of the markets over to Town Councils.  The District Council has been in negotiations with the Town Council about the future direction of the market, though no firm decisions have been made.  This has led to some concerns over the future of the market, but the ELDC has decided to remove that uncertainty by confirming its commitment by continuing to manage the delivery of the market itself whilst a decision is negotiated.

Portfolio Holder for Economy and Planning, Councillor Craig Leyland, is determined the markets can be a success under District Council management: “I am immensely passionate about our markets and the contribution they make to the economy in our towns. The challenge for us is to have better dialogue with the Traders about what works well, what can be improved, and what their vision is, whilst also reducing our running costs to ensure the markets are a success for all.

“The reality is that it’s a difficult time financially for Councils and we need to make savings and do things smarter and more efficiently but we are going to do all we can to breathe a new lease of life back into our markets.”