Fears town could lose market after 500 years

A town could be at risk of losing its market after 500 years due to crumbling concrete and unaffordable costs.

There are fears Bridgend could be hit after its indoor market was forced to close last year when Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was found in its roof.

A temporary market was set up, but Bridgend County Borough Council - which had been subsidising the lease for the stopgap - said it could not afford to continue paying for it and would withdraw its support in March.

The council said it had "offered to support and relocate the remaining stallholders" and was "discussing potential longer-term options" with the market's private owners.

Steve Bletsoe, an independent councillor and a former mayor of the town, said people were "losing their livelihoods".

"There's been a market in Bridgend for more than 500 years and this can't be the end," he said.

It is still unclear if the indoor market will be able to reopen in the future.

In a letter to market traders, the council said the total number of traders who had indicated interest in the temporary accommodation "did not materialise" and "over the course of the last year a number of others have vacated".

"This has resulted in a very large unit for a small number of traders that is having to be heavily subsidised by the council," it said.

"Due to its ongoing financial position, the council is having to make the very difficult decision to withdraw from the temporary unit and hereby provide you with three months' notice to terminate your current tenancy."

It said the last date of the tenancy would be 16 March 2025.

The council said the decision was made "with a heavy heart" and apologised that the news came before Christmas.

"We really appreciate your support of the temporary market hall… [we] felt it important to give you as much notice as possible in order that you can hopefully find suitable alternative premises."

Mr Bletsoe said the council, which is Labour-run, "know full well the market traders don't have enough income to run it themselves after they lost their position in the original market".

"We're a chartered market town with a long history of markets and we fear this could be the end of the market in Bridgend. I cannot see the indoor market ever reopening without significant, immediate investment in an alternative location," he said.

"People are losing their livelihoods and for the second time in just over a year they're facing a very uncertain future.

"It's a sad day for the town."

Bridgend council said it had to face the "unfortunate reality that multi-million pound savings must be made in 2025-26 in order to protect essential services for vulnerable people".

"This means we cannot afford to indefinitely subsidise a temporary market hall where the majority of traders have now found alternative premises."

It added the expiry date of the original lease already moved from November until March 2025.