Agenda item

To consider the update on the response to the recommendations from the Improving Places Select Commission spotlight review of Rotherham Markets carried out during 2022.

The Chair welcomed Councillor Sheppard, Simon Moss, Assistant Director, Planning, Regeneration and Transport, and Tim O’Connell, Service Manager to the meeting and invited Simon Moss to provide the update.

The Assistant Director, Planning, Regeneration and Transport noted that the Improving Places Select Commission had held a spotlight review of Rotherham Markets which was carried out in 2022 with further reports being submitted to Cabinet in December 2022 and February 2023.  The spotlight review was a really positive process and the service had taken on board the recommendations which had heavily influenced the approach the project had taken.

The report provided an update and detailed how the service had responded to each of the recommendations.  He highlighted that they had prioritised face to face engagement with tenants and market traders.  They had reinstated the voice meetings and had prioritised retaining market traders, prioritising their needs for the duration of the construction phase.  The recommendations had influenced the design plans in terms of accessibility, usability and attractiveness, particularly to young people.  He noted that some of the actions were still ongoing, in terms of working with the college to actively involve students in the new markets to continue to develop and modernise the markets offer.

Recommendation 1A was around face-to-face consultations and prioritising interactions with traders.  In response to this the face-to-face one-on-one contact with market traders had taken place at least every two to three months.  The voice meetings had been relaunched, which were in-person meetings and the market traders attended those.  Those meetings had been really good to maintain that ongoing dialogue as the projects were being developed.  There was a tailored markets consultation and engagement plan in place which was managed by the RiDO team.

A number of consultation workshop sessions were held in February 2023 to update traders on plans along with a series of individual meetings with market traders to provide an opportunity to discuss their requirements, particularly around the relocation aspect, during the temporary arrangements.  A further round of trader engagements was planned, and these would be ongoing as the build process progressed.

Recommendation 1B was around consulting case studies and liaising with the market traders’ associations such as National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA) and National Market Traders Federation (NMTF), which was really useful.  The Council did consult with those organisations which informed the proposals in a number of ways.  The most striking of which was that NABMA raised previous case studies where there were issues arising from similar market projects where issues arose from keeping market traders in situ whilst works were carried out.  During the consultation with traders, they had been really keen to stay on site however that consultation heavily informed the approach to phasing where a new temporary market had been created in the outdoor covered market, so striking a balance of retaining traders in situ whilst trying to minimise the disruption.  He noted that a number of visits to other markets, Barnsley was a relevant one which gave close comparisons, explaining that the Council was working with Henry Boot Construction Ltd who had delivered the Barnsley project.

Recommendation 1C which was around re-evaluating the support offer for new vendors.  All new traders were now offered an initial meeting and follow up sessions with follow up sessions with RiDO Business Support Advisors which complemented a support package of 50% rent concessions across the Markets portfolio which extended the financial support offer to assist new traders to establish a viable business beyond the six-month introductory period.

Recommendation 1D was around retaining traders through the redevelopment phase which was considered a top priority as without the traders there wouldn’t be a market.  This had been a key consideration through the planning and design period.  He reiterated that the approach was fundamentally altered to accommodate a temporary market option rather than works being undertaken directly in and around traders in the current positions.  This change in approach was presented to market traders in the sessions referred to in recommendation 1A and were generally well received and supported by the traders.  The report also referred to the rent concessions which was key to mitigating and recognising the impact on the trading position along with mitigating the impacts during construction. 

He referenced the relocation of the outdoor covered market which had now moved out onto the street.  There was an ongoing marketing campaign to address the indoor covered market and the footfall in the indoor covered market was being monitored since the relocation of the outdoor covered market to the street.

Recommendation 1E was around the redesign of the market space, in terms of optimising space for inclusivity and accessibility and making them attractive to students and young people.  Accessibility was key and was a fundamental design aspect that was considered early in the process.  He explained that the brief for the project had a focus on accessibility of entrances to the complex along with movement and usability throughout the complex itself.  A lot of detail had been captured in the equality analysis which was presented to Cabinet in December.  Rotherham College and young people are highlighted as key stakeholders within the market consultation strategy, which had influenced the design in terms of the proposed area of the market gardens and was designed to invited college student and pedestrians into that market area. The food hub was also key and was again designed to encourage more students and young people to use the complex.

He noted that although the report focused primarily on the markets, it was a markets and libraries redevelopment and the co-location with libraries was fundamental to that approach.

Recommendation 1F was around catering to the needs and interests of the younger generation and references discussions with the college around ideas such as a young trader’s scheme. This had influenced the design of the project in terms of opening up the view and access from the college and a potential presence in the food court. These discussions were ongoing.

Recommendation G was around recognising the markets as a unique and distinct community of buyers and sellers and there was a management resource required to sustain that successfully over the longer term. 

He spoke about the success of the Tuesday street market and building on that success to build ideas of how the new spaces could be used for things like farmers markets etc. The design will enable some of that to happen with new equipment and improved electrical supply.

Recommendation H was around modernising the markets with such things as incorporating cashless approaches, linking it to the Council’s digital programme.  Cashless rental collections had been introduced for traders and an increasing number of indoor traders were paying by direct debit and improved IT network allowed the opportunity to take that further.

The Chair welcomed the update noting there had been a lot of consultation carried out with market traders along with offers of support to retain them.

The Commission noted the recommendations had been approved but the majority were listed as ongoing.  It was asked when they would be completed. Clarification was also sought that both cash and cashless options would be available.  It was explained that in terms of the way payments were taken from traders, this was a commercial transaction, and the Council was encouraging that to be done digitally however in terms of the customer offer, it was around enabling customers to be able to use multiple payment methods.

There was a batch of recommendations that fed into how the Council planned for the project, design aspect had been completed.  How the markets would be used and when they opened were ongoing discussions.  The project was due for completion at the back end of 2026.  The focus of the project was on the build currently and there was time to develop aspects such as a young traders programme before the project closure.

Concerns were raised regarding the corporate communications plan as it was felt that changes needed to be updated and communicated across all platforms, in particular regarding the closure of access ways.  There had been no social media update regarding the Drummond Steet access.  It was believed that a number of traders were looking business as part of the redevelopment process.  Some access ways had been closed earlier than scheduled.  The challenge of managing this during this phase of the construction was noted and it was understood that signage needed to be clear.  It was clarified that regular meetings were held with traders and the Council had used media as a communication tool around changes taking place.  There was an element of disruption, and it was important that it was recognised, and plans undertaken to address any potential issues.

In response it was explained that bringing in new traders to the market during this time would be difficult and noted that if they joined now, they may not have the best experience.  There was a need to retain as many traders as possible and look to bring new traders in over time.

Resolved: That the progress of the Rotherham Markets & Library redevelopment was noted and the update to the Scrutiny Review Recommendations – Markets: Engagement and Recovery provided in Appendix 1, was considered.