Market that was in 'dire straits' to play key role in Calderdale town's development

Calderdale councillors heard traders were organising formally, setting up a body with a proper constitution and elected officers, and they had already been successful in obtaining some Welcome Back pandemic funding to put on some events.

The market at Ship Street – which markets manager John Walker said was in “dire straits” when the council took it over in 2019 – featured in several aspects of discussion about Brighouse’s development, including the possibility of running the market “indoors” in Brighouse Civic Hall, which is on the main Bradford Road.

Coun Howard Blagbrough (Con, Brighouse), who declared his interest as a member of Brighouse BID and Brighouse Town Deal Board, asked if an extra day’s opening had been institute.

Mr Walker said it had, the market was growing steadily and likely to improve further in the spring having opened in the second half of last year.

“We’ve had a lot of take-up, we’ve done a fair bit of social media coverage over this last couple of months, we’ve had quite a lot of coverage and quite a lot of people interested,” he said.

Alan Lee, lead officer for the council’s asset management agreed, with the new traders’ organisation showing businesses working together and with the council.

“There are some real positive green shoots, I think, I think, of the market moving forward,” he said.

Coun Blagbrough said he hoped the new organisation would provide some representation on the Town Deal Board markets sub-committee to look at possible changes to Brighouse Market.

These include a possible relocation, using a mix of Town Deal funding and private sector money as part of a multi-million pound scheme.

Coun Blagbrough asked if it were also possible to run an indoor market at Brighouse Civic Hall – one of the council buildings earmarked for disposal in last year’s budget, with possible uses to keep it being explored.

A number of years ago an indoor market had been run at King Street in Brighouse and had not worked, but he asked if it could it be tried here?

“I’d welcome your views to see whether it is a win-win situation, potentially, for the council.

“We then don’t have to dispose of the building but we have saved money, and we have got a site to dispose of equally,” he said.

Coun Jane Scullion (Lab, Luddenden Foot) said it was not yet fully clear how people’s shopping habits had changed during pandemic where outdoor markets had largely fared better than indoor ones.

Mr Walker said it would be re miss of him to give an affirmative answer without doing some more background work including asking traders what they thought.

However, he said: “When you consider that when we took on Brighouse Market, Brighouse Market was in dire straits.

“I am not saying we’ve made major improvements because there is still room for improvement.

“But what you find now when you visit Brighouse Market is that the majority of the lock-ups are all taken, all the individuals would be what traders you would potentially see within a market already – the butcher, the fishmonger etcetera.”

It was having success and Mr Walker said for example he had referred to a trader who has built a business during COVID and is now expanding.

“We would have to go and speak to them,” he told the council’s Cabinet Markets Working Party.

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