MARKET traders have called their treatment by the council ‘scandalous’ amid a dramatic drop in footfall due to the pandemic.

Traders at Tommyfield Market Hall, Oldham, are feeling the full brunt of the pandemic after being charged full rent throughout, despite other councils in the North West having waived rent.

Oldham Council has however insisted that more than £1million has been paid to Tommyfield Market and all traders are currently eligible for between a 10 per cent and 80 per cent discount on rent which has not risen since 2010.

Paul Hepworth, of Paul’s Jewellers, Tommyfield Market Hall, has called for further investment in the market.

He said: “We are eventually going to move over to Spindles but in the meantime, it doesn’t help us.

"For the business we’re actually doing in here the rent should be half of what it is now.

"For the council to still be charging what they’re charging for the rent here is disgraceful really.”

“They don’t realise that this place is still operating with 50 per cent footfall, so how can us traders still pay full rent? It doesn’t add up.

“It’s scandalous, it should be 50 per cent rent.”

Oldham Council bought Spindles shopping centre last year, and announced plans to integrate Tommyfield Market into the complex as part of town centre regeneration plans.

Mr Hepworth added: “We really do need some help from the council. I’m not on my own the way I feel about it, I think every trader in here feels the same.”

Justin Brierley, of A&Y Brierley footwear, which started trading in the market in 1968, has alleged that since the initial meeting, which informed market traders that the council had bought the building, there has been no further communication.

He said: “We’ve heard nothing, no talks, nothing. There’s a lot of new indoor markets that have been built around the country that have flopped because they’ve not listened to the traders.”

The council has however stated that a six-week trader consultation on the proposals was recently held.

Mark Crossley, of Crossley’s Fish, also in Tommyfield Market, described the first week of trading since restrictions eased as “encouraging”.

He said: “The weather helped and there was a positive vibe around the market. It was nice to see old faces back and some new one’s too.”

In response to the criticism, a spokesperson for Oldham Council said: “We are helping traders to access coronavirus business support grants.

“More than £1.11m in Local Restrictions Support Grants and Restart Grants have been paid to Tommyfield traders since the November lockdown to support them with costs and overheads including rent.

“To support traders, rent rates have not increased since 2010 and there are also a number of rent discount schemes for traders, which are based on individual business set-ups.

"All traders are currently eligible for between a 10 per cent and 80 per cent discount on rent.”

They added that the council looks forward to face-to-face conversations once Covid restrictions allow and said Tommyfield Market was at the heart of its Creating a Better Place regeneration strategy.