November 12, 1976

COUNCILLORS will soon decide once and for all whether to allow food stalls at the Friday Open Air Market in Redditch.

Ken Redfern, Conservative Chairman of the council's public services committee believes the town's fourth market day has been running long enough now to settle the issue.

And he has asked council officers to prepare a comprehensive trading report so councillors can decide at the next committee meeting whether to allow food stalls.

Since it opened in April the traders fourth market day has lacked greengrocery stalls. The decision to ban them caused great controversy at the time.

Tory councillors said people would rather shop for greengrocery for the weekends than for clothes at the Friday market.

But the then Labour controlled council heeded objections from traders in the food hall who complained they would lose custom and deferred a decision until a clear trading picture had emerged.

Councillor Redfern says the time is now right for a review and the committee will have information on lettings, income and the mix of goods on sale when councillors discuss food sales at the next meeting.