A NORTHUMBERLAND County Council scheme which aims to boost the number of stalls in Hexham Market Place has been received with mixed feelings by market traders

Under the scheme, new traders are being offered up to ten weeks free rent on their market stall, and the next ten weeks rent at half price.

The market trader incentive was launched earlier this week during the nationwide Love Your Local Market fortnight from May 17 to May 31, celebrating the importance of markets in local communities.

The scheme is aimed at boosting the weekly Hexham Tuesday market, which does not attract the numbers of stalls it did at the height of its popularity more than 10 years ago.

But Carol Allison who owns Meadow Fruits said existing traders should receive the same financial incentive.

“All of us would like to see new traders come to the town, but we would like to be honoured by the same deal that’s being offered to them,” she said.

“We have been a market stall for 40 years, here 52 weeks a year, rain or shine, hail or snow, and have helped keep the market alive.”

Steven Dunn, from Shield Green Nurseries, is also a prominent market place tenant. He said: “More market stalls coming to Hexham can only be a good thing for the town. My only worry would be that we get market traders who cherry pick when they visit and aren’t consistently here week in week out.”

David Ridley, from Ridley’s Fish and Game, added: “I can understand the council’s decision behind this.There’s no denying the market is a shadow of what it used to be so it will be interesting to see if more market stalls appear here.”

Northumberland County councillor, Glen Sanderson, cabinet member for environment and local services, said: “We are always working to keep the county’s markets popular and vibrant and we have introduced the New Trader Scheme to encourage new stallholders to come along and give market trading a try.”