Gloucester indoor market traders have been issued eviction notices after accumulating nearly £50,000 in unpaid rent. The problem highlights years of poor management and has raised concerns within Gloucester City Council, which is already grappling with financial difficulties.
Council leader Jeremy Hilton confirmed the arrears amount and explained that the council is taking decisive action. “The fishmonger’s stall alone has not paid rent for six years," Hilton revealed during a recent cabinet meeting at North Warehouse. “We have now asked them to leave and are implementing stricter rental procedures moving forward.”
This financial oversight is part of a broader issue with the market’s management, described by Hilton as a “fundamental flaw” inherited from the previous administration. He acknowledged that informal arrangements and personal negotiations with stallholders contributed to inconsistent rent collection and lease management.
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Questions were raised by Reg Daldry, a council member, who pointed out that despite ongoing council expenses — including weekly costs for cleaning, waste disposal, and electricity — some traders were not fulfilling their rent obligations. Daldry urged the council to conduct thorough audits to better understand outstanding debts and improve financial oversight, especially in light of the council’s recent emergency loan application to the Government for approximately £15 million.
The council has signaled plans to revamp the market with new management strategies that enforce rent collection strictly and terminate leases for non-payment promptly. “When we develop the new market site, there will be robust systems to ensure that everyone who holds a lease pays their rent,” Hilton stated. “We are committed to professional management to avoid repeating past mistakes.”
The fishmonger responsible for the largest arrears has already left the market. Efforts to obtain comments from them have so far been unsuccessful.