County council wants street market back

Newtown's Mayor has raised "serious" concerns about proposals to take the management of town markets, such as Newtown's street market, back into Powys County Council control.

Bringing back markets under the management of Powys County Council (PCC) is a proposal being considered in the draft budget.

If it were passed it could make PCC £22,500 in 2020/21 and a further £52,500 in 2020/21.

The proposal is one of several put forward by the Highways Transport and Recycling Service, who are looking to make £291,000 in savings in the next financial year.

They were questioned at the Economy, Residents, Communities and Governance Scrutiny committee meeting on Wednesday, January 29.

Newtown Mayor and Powys county councillor, Cllr David Selby, had serious concerns over the proposal.

He said: “To me this is going in the opposite direction that we want it to. We are in the process of transforming the council and one of the key elements is to simplify the council.

“When we find services that are best run elsewhere we should do that. We already have agreements with town councils and Powys takes a 12.5 per-cent cut of the income.

“All of the responsibility, the marketing and all of that is down to a town council. In my view, yipee.

“To thinks there is some clever income grab we can have by bringing it back in house is giving the wrong message.

Cllr Selby added that in the case of Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council, they had set their precept with the costs of the market as part of it.

Cllr Selby added “I can’t see there’s a £23,000 income to generate? To put it in as a potential income stream for next year is wrong and ridiculous.”

The impact assessment for the proposal indicates that transfer agreement with town council comes to an end soon.