Traders at Leeds Kirkgate Market are being offered a place on a new digital skills training programme as pressure mounts on the council’s leadership of the market.
Working with local trainers Leeds Boost, Leeds City Council is offering a free 12-month training and support package to all traders in the market to improve their digital skills and help develop their businesses online.
Simon McCaskill, Lead Trainer at Leeds Boost, said: ‘This is a great initiative from the market team. We are delighted to be given the opportunity to go back into the market and work with the traders over the next 12 months.
‘Digital is a tool for all, it’s about tapping into what works for you and your business, and we are excited about supporting the market traders and providing them with the knowledge and skills to help them grow.’
Leeds Kirkgate Market is the largest covered marketplace in Europe but traders have faced stiff competition from city centre supermarkets and online shopping.
Traders recently presented the authority with a ‘vote of no confidence’ demanding a new team is brought in to run the market.
They are angry that the council recently approved plans to allow cars to park in the outdoor section of Kirkgate Market, which they believe could force traders indoors.
‘Unless new market management is brought in, not only will the market continue to decline, but it will fail completely,’ the letter read.
‘It reflects this council’s lack of understanding, empathy and business acumen towards the market and the businesses within it.’
The letter cited a number of other concerns, including high rents for pop-up stalls, a lack of vision and worries that the market is being run as a community space rather than for the benefit of traders.
Photo Credit – Immanuel Giel
