Wythenshawe’s ‘iconic’ indoor market has been given a temporary reprieve after plans for its closure were deferred until later this year.
Manchester council had considered withdrawing funding from March as part of wider cost-cutting measures to save around £41m in the coming year.
The town hall currently pays a £110k-a-year subsidy for the indoor section of Wythenshawe market, which is in an ‘unsustainable’ position after losing money over several years.
Stallholders were told that they could have to relocate to other trading spots in the city such as Gorton and Longsight, prompting fears about the long-term future of their businesses.
But members of Manchester council’s executive were urged to rethink their budget proposals to allow councillors, traders and officers to come up with a new plan to save the market.
Councillor Eddy Newman, representing the elected members for the Woodhouse Park ward in Wythenshawe, said: “I’d like to suggest that the subsidy continues for a further six months into the new financial year.
“The indoor market is an iconic feature of Wythenshawe and the town centre.
“[Closing] it would be a blow to the morale of people who, like everyone else in the city, are facing difficulties at the moment.”
Coun Newman suggested that a work and skills scheme could help the viability of the market by supporting those who have become unemployed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Manchester council has said that its main priority would be moving indoor traders into the outdoor market, which will not be affected by the proposed cuts.
Talks have been held with St Modwen’s, the firm behind Wythenshawe’s civic centre, about extending the outdoor market to accommodate more traders.
But businesses like Royle’s Butchers, which has been on the market since it opened in 1972, will be unable to trade outdoors.
Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester council, said that £49k had been found from within the council’s budget to allow the subsidy to continue for an extra six months.
The council’s six scrutiny committees will get their final say on the wider 2021/22 budget proposals next month before they are signed off at a full council meeting on March 31.
