Market trader's anger after council says his compensation request is 'not reasonable'

WATCH REPAIRER NOW SAYS HE COULD STAY 'FOR YEARS TO COME'

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE

ONE of the last remaining traders at the Victoria Market has hit back after Nottingham City Council accused him of being unreasonable over a compensation offer.

The Labour-run authority has been trying to exit its lease in the Victoria Centre's indoor market for years and the hundreds of traders at the site have gradually been reduced to just four.

Talks are entering a fraught phase after an email from the council suggested that the market could end up remaining open for another 12 months, despite the authority having said it wanted to close it by the end of March this year.

The council has now said that one of the last remaining traders is “pursuing” a compensation offer it “does not consider to be reasonable”, directly naming that trader - David Bowey - in a public statement.

Mr Bowey took on the running of the Tick King store around 10 years ago and says he now thinks he could continue trading from the site for “years to come”.

A council spokesperson said: “The council remains committed to closing Victoria Market.

“There are now only a small number of traders remaining, and the council continues to engage with each of them individually to ensure closure of the market in a planned and cost-effective way, ensuring best value for taxpayers while supporting traders through this process.