Knaresborough Town Council could make bid to run town’s weekly market

Town councillor David Goode will ask members at a meeting this evening to back his plan that would see the council take control of Knaresborough Market as part of a devolution pilot scheme.

The market is currently run by Harrogate Borough Council but this will all change from April 1 when the new unitary authority North Yorkshire Council is created.

A central pledge in the case for local government reorganisation, called “double devolution”, was that town and parish councils could be handed more powers if they can make a successful business case.

Some councillors in Knaresborough, like in Ripon, are hoping to grasp a rare opportunity to take back assets that were handed over to Harrogate the last time reorganisation took place in 1974.

‘The time is right’

Knaresborough has held a weekly market since 1310, which it claims makes it the longest continually-run market in the country.

Each Wednesday, traders sell fruit and veg, cheese, cakes and clothes and more – plus there’s a boisterous weekly address from town cryer Roger Hewitt.

There have been previous attempts by groups in Knaresborough to take control of the market but Councillor Goode told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that “the time is right” thanks to local government reorganisation.

He said: “The market is the beating heart of the town and it’s a jewel we should be protecting.

"Running it at a local level has a better chance of it being successful than in Northallerton.”

If he’s backed by his fellow councillors tonight, an expression of interest will be submitted to North Yorkshire County Council next month.

‘A lot more we could do’

Knaresborough Town Council charges a precept on residents’ council tax.

If it took control of the market, Cllr Goode said it could mean an increase in this precept.

However, he added that “shoving money on the precept is totally the wrong mindset” when it comes to double devolution.

Traders and Harrogate Borough Council have had a difficult relationship in recent years but Councillor Goode said the town council would be able to give the market a clearer focus and help to reinvigorate it.

He added: “I’ve been down last two Wednesdays and market place is half-full, but it’s part of the rich story Knaresborough has to tell.

“There’s a lot more that we could do.

"For example, we should be doing more for the elderly and people on low incomes to show them what advantages they can receive by shopping at the market.”