A demonstration has taken place outside St Johns Market to protest its closure. The historic city centre market was closed on March 11 after Liverpool Council said it was owed £1.7m in rent dating back to August 2020. Traders and regular shoppers are calling on the council to reopen talks.
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00:00 It's like a death of a very favourite uncle is the only way I can put it.
00:07 This is a community of traders, we all know each other.
00:11 It's our village, I've been in it since I was 14 years old.
00:15 The sudden closure of St John's Market was a huge shock to many.
00:19 After negotiations failed, traders and shoppers were left
00:22 shuttered out of the site last Monday.
00:24 It's a really good community for the City of Liverpool and for the traders
00:29 but for all their customers who seem to have been left out of the equation altogether.
00:34 Lots of people come for moral support, lonely people, people with mental health problems
00:40 come every day for a cup of tea, can sit all day, nobody moves them on.
00:45 We know them, all the traders know them and I've met several of them
00:49 over the last week, almost in tears because they just don't know where to go now.
00:54 The leader of Liverpool Council said the city was left with literally no option
00:58 but to shut shop amid the ongoing row over unpaid rent.
01:02 Councillor Liam Robinson said it was sad the way it's panned out
01:05 but council payers expected the city to collect revenue it was owed.
01:09 You've created this mess, you need to move aside and support the Traders' Association
01:16 to get this back. We've made an offer that you haven't even deigned to reply
01:22 and at the end of the day that's the starting offer.
01:24 The idea is that you get a footfall counter in there and as the footfall goes up
01:29 and you actually allow some tenants in the place instead of trying to kill it
01:33 you'll get more rent, you'll get more service charge.
01:37 In 2020 rent and service charges were reintroduced to traders
01:40 after little improvement following the 2016 revamp of the site.
01:45 Last autumn the council said it would seek to recover three years worth of arrears
01:49 from the dozens of businesses located within the market.
01:52 It couldn't be worse than it is now so whatever happens if the place reopens
01:58 it will improve.