Knutsford Makers Market to continue despite coronavirus concerns

The popular market returned as a one-off event on the Heath on August 2 with a reduced number of stalls, and was hailed a success by market organiser Vicky Crane.

After discussing the Heath market the town council’s events committee agreed to allow markets to be held in the town centre in September, October and November.

The committee agreed on Tuesday the markets should continue as planned this month and next after discussing the latest coronavirus guidance in respect of the council’s upcoming events, and despite opposition to the markets continuing from Cllrs Elizabeth Beswick and Lesley Dalzell.

The committee was told there had been no change to government guidance on outdoor markets nor additional restrictions imposed on the holding of outdoor markets.

A report said: “The [Makers] market has been subject to a coronavirus risk assessment and it is noted that footfall at the markets has been dramatically lower than prior to the coronavirus.

“The event organisers have instigated a number of measures to limit the spread of coronavirus including increased sanitation and social distancing.”

Cllr Beswick said she was not in favour of the Makers Market carrying on as there was too much of a risk to the local population.

She said: “I don’t think it adds particularly much to the prosperity of the town.

“A lot of local people probably stay away from the market while people come into the town from outside, and I think it’s particularly worrying for the elderly people that live in the centre of the town.

“If you go into Knutsford on weekends that aren’t the Makers Market Knutsford is still busy, Tatton Park is busy, there’s lot of people around the restaurants and the bars.

“So I don’t think you need the Makers Market for the prosperity of the town, and it’s much too much of a risk at this time to have it so that a lot of people from outside are coming in where there is a higher incidence of the virus.

“We should be looking after our own population, our own retailers and making sure we minimise the risk to the people of Knutsford.

“As well as that the Makers Market has reduced in size, so I can’t really see the point of having such a reduced market - to me the risks outweigh the benefits.”

Cllr Mike Houghton said he was very aware there were a number of councillors who were very concerned about the market taking place.

“There is a fine balance between people’s health and safety and the economy of the town, and it’s a balancing act we’ve wrestled with for the majority of the last six months,” he said.

“Given that the last one went off reasonably OK there is a desire to boost the economy of the town; on the flip side things have worsened since the beginning of September.”

Cllr Dalzell agreed with Cllr Beswick, and said it was ‘quite alarming’ that four year groups at Knutsford schools were isolating.

She added: “We really need to be aware of how much this virus is circulating at the moment.”

Cllr James McCulloch had proposed the market carried on for September, October and November, and was still very much of that opinion.

He spent quite some time at the market in September, he said, and people ‘were milling around safely’ and enjoying the market, with stallholders chatting to the public in a socially-distanced and appropriate manner.

He said: “It was a joy to see people coming into the town despite the conditions being placed on people at the present, and I fully support the continuance of the markets.”

Cllr Quentin Abel said he appreciated Cllr Dalzell’s comments about the schools, and had just dropped his son off at university, and shared the concerns over the virus.

However he added: “It strikes me that we are going to have to learn to live with it, because I don’t see us finding a way through it in any other way.

“The behaviours I’ve seen at the Makers Market were significantly better than behaviours where alcohol is involved, and with the best will in the world schoolchildren are going to mix.

“Thank goodness we are in the fortunate position that for the majority of them [young people] it doesn’t appear to be as serious an issue. It would appear society needs to protect its vulnerable members.

“It’s an impossible situation, but unless and until we get some form of vaccination, to deny people the ability to get out and live life strikes me as being too much.

“If the R rate went up and the percentage of serious illness increases then of course we can review this, but hopefully at the moment it’s [the Makers Market] something we should continue to do.”

Elizabeth Beswick added: “We’re not denying people the ability to get out and live life.

“What I’m saying is - let’s reduce infected people coming in from elsewhere so that local people can get out and about without the risk of having transmission from outside areas.

“People I speak to say they stay away when its Makers Market because of people coming in.”