Agenda item

Questions asked on notice under Standing Order 6

Minutes:

The following questions were received from Councillor A Newton in regard to Fees and Charges:

 

  1. Could you let me know, please, all the expenses relating to the market?  I can see 19/20 budget is £105,000 and projected income is £90,000.

 

Answer

 

SHDC Markets

Category

Budget 20/21

Employee Related Expenditure

£108,000

Premises Related Expenditure

£17,400

Supplies & Services

£38,400

Transport Related Expenditure

£3,200

Depreciation and Impairment Losses

£1,300

Income

(£85,000)

Grand Total

£83,300

 

  1. How is the figure of £20,000 arrived at for Additional Income Raised?

 

Answer

The figure of £20k is a reduction in income and not an increase due to a drop in trader numbers.  The service is happy to meet with Cllr Newton to run through how the figures are arrived at.

 

  1. How many operatives are used to put up and take down the stalls?

 

Answer

At this present time the number of stall erectors we use are as follows:

 

·         Tuesday morning. 1 tractor driver + 5 stall erectors. Tuesday afternoon. 1 tractor driver + 4 stall erectors.

 

·         Saturday morning. 1 tractor driver + 5 stall erectors. Saturday afternoon. 1 tractor driver + 4 stall erectors.

 

·         The tractor driver also works Monday and Friday afternoons to put out the trailers.

 

 

 

  1. How many years have that number of operatives been used?

 

Answer

One stall erector was reduced when we stopped putting the covers on the stalls. 1st April 2017.

 

  1. How many hours per session are they allocated/paid?

 

Answer

The tractor driver gets paid for 2 hours on Monday and Friday and 2 ½ hours Tuesday/Saturday mornings and afternoons.

The stall erectors get paid for 2 hours Tuesday mornings and afternoons and 2 ½ hours for Saturday mornings and afternoons due to increased stall numbers.

 

  1. If the market is cancelled, are they still remunerated?

 

Answer

Yes

 

  1. What is the proposed increase in fees per stall?

 

Answer

The cost of providing a stall for registered traders has been proposed to increase by 50p per week

 

  1. What number of stalls are regularly let on Tuesday and Saturdays, say from January 2020, and what was the figures for the same period 2019?

 

Answer

 

January 2019

Tuesday 40 council stalls. 176 feet own units/stalls.

Saturday 38 council stalls. 102 feet own units/stalls.

 

 

January 2020

Tuesday 31 council stalls. 130 feet own units/stalls.

Saturday 32 council stalls. 98 feet own units/stalls.

 

  1. I can see in the comments column that stall holders are expected to drop if fees and charges are increased.  By how many?

 

Answer

We are expecting a drop in stall holder numbers as a result of retirement and a continuation of the trend (see 8 above) in the reduction of stall holders. 

 

  1. There are 2 National Federation of market traders on Spalding Market that are appointed by the other traders as their representatives/links to management.    Where they consulted?

 

Answer

We have 2 NMTF reps on the market, these are not appointed by the other traders but by the NMTF. We do have a market rep appointed by us.

 

The last time they were consulted was when the decision was taken for the traders to put their own top covers on.

 

  1. I cannot find any saving in the budget papers under employee’s related expenditure 2018-19 – the budget papers should show more detail in relation to expenses as well as income.

 

Answer

 

When setting a whole council budget it will out of necessity be relatively high level – Portfolio Holders have access to much more detailed information in terms of granularity – if members wish to see more detail this is something we can consider for the future.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Place and the Portfolio Holder for Finance provided the responses.

 

Councillor Newton thanked the Members and Officers for their responses and was pleased that Cabinet had taken the decision to freeze the Market fees.