Ilkeston - A "Blue" Christmas
w/e 14 December 2008
All this week's pictures were taken
with a Kodak DX6490
It is not often that I feel the need to resort to
political comment on these pages but there are times when it
is right to comment on the situation when it affects the future
of the town and this is one of those times. All of the images
on this page come from the weekend of December 6th/7th 2008.
In the week following Conservative Party leader with aspirations
to be the next Prime Minister made a speech criticising Gordon
Brown and the government for their handling on the economic situation
that is having a major impact worldwide. Whilst his speech was
full of rhetoric and condemnation, little was reported on his
alternative proposals so perhaps we can glean more of his party's
policies by seeing how his fellow members act at grass roots
level.
On Saturday Councillor Chris Corbert, leader of the Conservative
controlled Erewash Borough Council, remained firmly ensconced
in the Town Hall opening his door only for a television interview
whilst market traders and their supporters gathered outside to
stage a protest about the Council's decision requiring the traders
to buy and erect their own stalls from the start of the 2009.
Despite the message shining down from above the greetings were
neither seasonal nor full of goodwill.
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All suggestions and alternative proposals by the market traders
have been shunned by the Council and many fear that the policy
of self-erection will lead to the demise and even the death of
the market as we know it.
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Many of the stalls on Saturday were displaying "Wanted"
posters bearing the photos and names of those Conservative Councillors
deemed responsible for "Murdering Ilkeston Market".
One elderly gentleman in his seventies and who has traded in
the town for over forty years will be expected not only to buy
a new stall and erect it himself but also to purchase a larger
vehicle in which to transport it. In fact many of the stall holders
who regularly trade here are in the fifty plus age group and
are in a similar situation with regards to transport. Surely
the Council's decision means this is not a viable proposition
for many of them.
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Anyone who thinks the market traders are over reacting to the
Council's policy only has to look around the market to see that
several stalls are already empty where the traders have voted
with their feet and left already. This will only get worse come
the new year as more traders have stated their intention to leave.
One trader who has decided to stay has already purchased a new
smaller stall at a cost of about £400 and despite the Council
offering a reduction of £2 per week for a site on the market,
it will take him about four years to recoup this outlay.
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On Sunday the stalls had been replaced by an old fire engine
as another gathering took place on the Market Place. Santa had
come to town and had forsaken his normal transport of reindeer-pulled
sleigh for this alternative vehicle.
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He was greeted by a number of children all of whom seemed delighted
to see him especially as he was happy to pose for photographs.
But what had Santa to do with the demise of the market? Well
his visit was part of the Ilkeston Co-Op's efforts to drum up
trade but if all the requests to Santa are met with the same
response as the petitions and letters from concerned residents
to the Council, then there will be a lot of empty stockings come
Christmas morning.
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Santa was accompanied by a number of helpers cunningly disguised
as a Christmas tree, brightly wrapped parcels and even the fairy
from the top of the tree. Santa eventually made his way into
the store but whether or not his arrival had the desired effect
of increasing customers only time will tell.
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Perhaps the policy of the local Council gives us an inkling into
David Cameron's ideas on how to "help" the economy
but many of the shopkeepers and market traders in Ilkeston will
be concerned about the expected demise of the market. On Sunday
the band outside the Co-Op played a variety of jolly seasonal
tunes but both shopkeepers and market traders may well be looking
forward to singing to a different tune in the new year unless
common sense is seen to prevail and the unpopular decision is
reversed or another solution adopted. Despite the Council's assertion
that "There are absolutely no plans to close the market"
their actions (or rather inaction) do not correspond with their
words.
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