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“Find a way to keep Ely Market” say Jim Paice

South East Cambridgeshire MP Jim Paice has stepped into the growing row over plans by East Cambridgeshire District Council to stop providing stalls for stallholders at both regular Ely Markets and Craft and Farmers Markets.

Jim has said “Of course the District Council must cut as much expenditure as possible and it is perfectly reasonable to argue that subsidising stallholders cannot be justified in tight circumstances but my concern is that rather than just deciding to cut the expenditure the Council should look firstly at why it costs so much and secondly see it as a challenge to find an alternative way of providing the stalls. I find it difficult to believe that it cannot be done for considerably less than £30,000 and I am sure there are people in the community who would take it on as a business for much less and work with the stallholders. I really do urge the Council to instruct officers to discuss all options with stallholders and other interested parties, including perhaps local charities, rather than take the precipitate action which I hear of. It cannot be beyond the wit of man to find a better way.”

Jim continued “This issue has similarities to the earlier proposal by the County Council to close the lay-by near Barway. It wasn’t until I urged them to discuss it with the person who has the catering van and with local councils that they thought there was any alternative to closing it. Now we have a newly surfaced lay-by at a fraction of the cost they thought. Many local people have solutions to problems if they are given the information and the opportunity to find them rather than being faced with decisions from on high.”