MORE money should be handed to Worcester charities from the rental income of a city shopping precinct, according to a leading politician.

Councillor Richard Boorn has called for a shake-up of the rules around the Hopmarket, which this year will hand over £90,000 to worthy causes.

There is currently a maintenance fund worth £100,000 towards the upkeep of the centre, which Coun Boorn believes is too high.

The Hopmarket, a parade of independent shops off Foregate Street, is council-owned and each year a sub-committee decides to give away rental income to charity.

Coun Boorn also says the guidance around the awards, which was compiled in 1993, should be updated to take account of modern needs.

Speaking at a Hopmarket sub-committee meeting at the Guildhall, he said: “I think the time is right to look at this again.

“The last time the criteria was set down for making these awards was 1993, and it doesn’t relate to the world we live in today.

“There are issues we need to explore there, and we’ve also got a £100,000 maintenance fund despite the fact we’ve got insurance on the properties.

“I don’t see why it needs to be that high. We need to look at every aspect of this to make sure we are doing our best for the people of Worcester.”

As your Worcester News reported on Thursday, income from the Hopmarket is forecast to drop £5,000 to £140,000 in 2013/14 due to the economic climate.

The city council is exploring ideas for trying to boost trade, including some extra marketing and a fresh look at signage.

Councillor Gareth Jones, chairman of the sub-committee, has agreed further talks on the guidelines for dishing out grants.

He added: “The footfall going through there is not particularly good, but how we increase it, I don’t know.”

He said the parade was a “little gem” in Worcester but not enough pedestrians visited it.

Trader Clare Bridge, who runs Second Hand Rose, a vintage clothing shop, has said the current economic climate is the main reason for the problems.