THERE is to be no market on carnival day this year in Launceston after councillors agreed the previous alternative sites were no longer suitable.

The decision to postpone the monthly market has caused frustration among the market stallholders and a representative attended the full town council meeting on Tuesday, September 17, to raise their grievances and discover why the decision was made with little prior notice being offered to the stallholders. She said: “We all know about the hoo-ha of us arriving at the market the other day to be told there is to be no market in October. We just want to know who made that decision and why we weren’t told sooner?”

The mayor Cllr Dave Gordon said although it was not something due to be discussed on the agenda the council were still happy to listen to the query.

The lady thanked the mayor and continued: “We want to know how decisions like this one are made. I can’t find any record of which meeting this was discussed at. We feel like we are being sidelined because something else [carnival] has come up!

“If the market can’t take place in the Square it is usually taken over to Westgate Street, but apparently that area failed a risk assessment — so does that mean a risk assessment wasn’t carried out before?

“Had we been informed in good time we could have made other arrangements. Many of the market stallholders come out rain or shine, each month, despite the low revenue many acheive. It is, we think, reasonable to expect the same kind of loyalty in return.”

The mayor said a note had been made of these grievances and they would be discussed at the next Tourism and Information Services (TIC) Committee meeting so ‘the best way forward’ could be found.

However, later in the meeting, Cllr John Conway brought the matter up again during his report. He said: “I went to the Saturday market for the first time this year to hear what people had to say and I was inundated by market holders telling me how upset they were by the decision.

“I went through all the minutes of various meetings and all I could find is where it states the market will be held on the second Saturday of every month — I cannot find a resolution that states there was to be no market in October.”

He added: “When did this council start working ultra vires [beyond one’s legal power or authority]?”

Clerk, Mr Christopher Drake, confirmed the decision was taken during an extraordinary meeting of the TIC committee. A risk assessment of Westgate Street, which was to be the alternative site, had been carried out prior to the meeting by the council’s senior management team. The site was deemed too narrow to enable wheelchair access between the stalls and Mr Drake said he was ‘not prepared to put the council or public in a position where something could go wrong’.

He said: “There was a meeting of the TIC, an extraordinary meeting. It was at that meeting, on September 3, that the minutes were approved.”

Cllr Conway began to say he had looked through the minutes online and had found no mention of this matter before Mr Drake cut him off to say: “I won’t be drawn into a debate. The minutes are not online yet. I will send the draft minutes with the resolution to councillors after this meeting.”

He added: “We have not done anything illegal. The decision of the committee does not need to be resolved by this council.”

Cllr Conway disagreed and said the TIC committee did not have delegated power and didn’t believe it had the authority to make such a decision.

Mr Drake reaffirmed: “This council only has to receive the committee meeting’s minutes, it does not approve them. This is in-line with legislation published in April 2008. I will copy all councillors in to an email with the minutes.”

The deputy mayor, Cllr Leighton Penhale said it was he who called the extraordinary meeting, on August 30, and he wished to clarify a few points. He said: “I called the extraordinary meeting to discuss the problem with logistics and health and safety issues. It was following these discussions that the decision was made.

“I apologise to Cllr Conway as the extraordinary meeting took place in August, the decision was not made at the September meeting as was previously stated.”

Mayor Cllr Gordon concluded: “The resolution was passed at the meeting and the clerk will pass out the minutes for councillors information.

“It was deemed to be too dangerous to hold the market and I am of the understanding that market holders didn’t want to go to Westgate Street instead because it was too dark and enclosed.

“If you want to discuss this at the next full council meeting then I suggest you put it on the agenda.”