Decision deferred on private management proposal for City market

The Highland Council’s City of Inverness Area Committee has listened to the concerns raised by a number of traders in the City’s Victorian Market and have deferred discussion on proposals to privately manage the market to the first meeting of the City Committee in the New Year.

Provost and Leader of the City of Inverness Councillor Helen Carmichael said: “Due to the late presentation of a letter from interested parties which was given to me during the City of Inverness Area Committee meeting today (3 December 2015) - with the agreement of members of the committee we have deferred discussion of this item.

“I am disappointed after two meetings with traders of the Victorian Market that they have raised new concerns which were not raised at the meetings during which they were fully briefed of the proposals.”

Council Members will be asked at the next City Committee meeting to instruct the Council to proceed to tender for the management of Inverness Victorian Market. If implemented, the management contract will run for a five year period.

A phased approach is proposed for the implementation of a new management plan for the market with stakeholder engagement a key factor in any proposed changes.

The Victorian Market is an asset of the Inverness Common Good Fund which is managed by The Highland Council on behalf of the Trustees of the Common Good Fund. Replacement of the market’s roof at £0.966m in 2012 and works planned for the Academy Street entrance will result in the property operating at a loss to the Common Good Fund. The Highland Council is duty bound to ensure that it attains the best possible return for Inverness Common Good Fund assets and members will consider endorsing the Private Management model as an appropriate method to gain better returns on the facility in the future.