At today's special Development and Regeneration Committee meeting of Glasgow City Council, SNP councillors united the opposition groups on the council in opposing the Administration's plan to turf all existing traders out of Paddy's Market. They did this by proposing that the council drop its requirement that Paddy's be empty when the council take over the head lease from Network Rail, who own the site, and asked that a detailed business plan be brought before councillors to ensure that existing legitimate traders are allowed to continue making a livelihood at Paddy's.

Cllr Craig Mackay, local SNP councillor for the Anderston/City ward, said: "The meeting was productive for the most part, and the administration have moved from a position of being determined to remove existing traders from the market to looking into ways in which they can continue to use the site, albeit with less commitment than the traders and the SNP group would have liked.

"The SNP's key demand was to remove the 'vacant possession' clause from the proposed lease. This would allow traders to remain in their premises after agreeing to new terms with City Markets LLP. Continuity of trading is vital, otherwise these small businesses are unlikely to survive, particularly in the current economic climate. It's not the Council's job to put legitimate traders out of business.

"The battle isn't over yet, and I intend to arrange a meeting between the Director of Development and Regeneration and the traders to discuss the way forward from here, to try to ensure  that existing legitimate traders aren't moved out of the arches and on to the dole queue."

Note:

• The SNP Group had 'called-in' the previous decision of the Council's Executive Committee of 12th September, to allow for full scrutiny of the decision. The SNP amendment at the Call-In was defeated by 11 votes to 5.
  
  
• City Markets LLP is the Council's new arms length company set up to run markets. Their other operations include Blochairn market.