Stallholder fights for right to keep trading

TRADER Jack Singh

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A STALLHOLDER says he is determined to fight for his trading patch in the town centre after Oldham Council announced the Hilton Arcade site would end.

Stallholders were told in May they would have to relocate after the council made the decision to close the market site following a range of issues.

Fire escapes being blocked, the footpath being impassable and the market running at a loss, were all cited as reasons for the closure of the market site, which had originally been opened on a trial basis and was used by five traders.

After being given a chance to find a new location or return to an earlier site, as well as having the chance to tell customers, traders were told the arcade stalls would end on July 15.

However, Jack Singh, who has been trading at the site for three years, continued to set up his stall at Hilton Arcade on Monday as he continues to fight for the site.

He said: "People are happy with our market and we have a lot of regular customers who come back for our goods and our banter. They like us being here as we add a bit of colour and fun to the area."

He added: "We don't block the passageway and we ensure people can get through the alleyway. Before we arrived people would be too scared to walk down the alley here because they thought it was dangerous.

"It is undercover and there are no cameras here so it was an easy target for crime and drug dealing. If we're not here it could quickly return to being a problem issue."

Jack, from Manchester, said a petition to allow the traders to continue at Hilton Arcade has already gathered more than 300 signatures, with traders planning to deliver it to the council soon.

"We are determined to fight this decision and we will do what we can to stay here and continue trading," he said.

A spokesman for Oldham Council said they were aware a trader had set up in the arcade on Monday, but not the following day.