Struggling Wolverhampton traders offered rent cut after £9m market plans delayed

City of Wolverhampton Council said it would cut rent by a quarter for more than 10 months to help Bilston’s indoor and outdoor market stalls.

The town’s outdoor market stalls were re-located last October for the then proposed year-long work to build a ‘state-of-the-art’ replacement.

However, the work to the 200-year-old market is now not expected to be finished until June 2026 – eight months later than planned.

The decision to re-locate the town’s outdoor market has also hit trade at its indoor market with stallholders complaining of a drop in footfall.

The council said it would use its reserves to cover the expected £175,000 loss in income from 42 weeks of reduced rent.

Last month, the council agreed to set aside a further £2.5m for the new market – which will see the total cost rise by more than a third from £6.4m to £8.9m.

The new market will bring improved access for pedestrians from the town’s bus and Metro station, new canopies, toilets, stall improvements and improvements to public spaces.

The council has said the market will deliver “the absolute best market in the West Midlands” – with more modern, accessible and “vibrant spaces” for traders and the local community.

In a statement, Councillor Stephen Simkins, leader of the council, said: “We will deliver the first class, improved and modern market we promised traders.

“In the meantime, we have listened to traders concerns and are committed to supporting them during the works.

“This offer comes on top of the council investing millions of pounds in the major improvements that will make the market even better for them and their customers.

“This time next year we will all be enjoying the absolute best market in the West Midlands with more modern, more accessible, and more vibrant spaces for traders and the local community.”

The council said it also spending £15,000 on events and activities in and around the indoor market to help attract more people during the nearly year-long work.

Bilston’s outdoor market relocated to the town’s high street last October to allow for work on the new multi-million-pound facility to start.

The stallholders were told to prepare to be back on the new site by October this year but the delay means the market will celebrate its bicentennial as a building site.

The old outdoor market has been flattened but was left as a pile of rubble for months as work ground to a halt following a number of tricky surveys.

The said the surveys, that could only be carried out once the stalls had moved, found “poor” ground conditions that resulted in a re-design to carry out the works as planned.

This had also resulted in a further £2.5m being set aside and delay to the start of the work on the new market, the council added.

The council dismissed rumours the market site had been sold with cabinet member for resident services Cllr Bhupinder Gakhal saying the work was still on course to be completed by October.

However, a few weeks later the council revealed the work would be delayed by eight months and cost an extra £2.5m.