MARKET traders have warned that Barnsley Council could end up killing the 'golden goose' with the new leases and conditions being imposed upon them.
Plans for traders who want to move into the new market to have five-year leases, with a chance to end the lease only after three years, have been criticised, with a spokesman for the National Market Traders' Federation saying no-one has yet signed up.
They also claim no specific opening and closing times have been confirmed and there are no concessions for traders while the building works continue.
The new lease means that a market trader must pay at least three years' rent, even if they leave beforehand or their business fails.
The spokesman for the NMTF Barnsley Group said: "For the avoidance of doubt, nobody - the meat or fish traders, stall holders or cafes - has signed any legally binding document. No one has signed a lease or an expression of interest because no one is happy."
Full story in today's paper.
