Caroline Pidgeon has asked the Deputy Mayor for Business to urgently review the drastic impact that the pandemic has had on London's market traders, and the very limited support they have been able to access.
Caroline wrote:
London’s countless markets add very much to the vibrance and cultural diversity of our city, as well as being a significant part of the capital’s economy. It is essential that traders from markets, large and small, from the famous markets of Greenwich and Camden to markets that take place and serve communities across every corner of London, are supported properly as we move out of lockdown.
I appreciate that market traders have the opportunity to apply for the Local Authority Discretionary Fund in order to get some financial support in this difficult time and have had access to other pots of money throughout the crisis through their local authority. However, I am deeply concerned to hear that in certain parts of London market traders are not getting the necessary support they need and are only receiving incredibly small amounts of money that make little difference to the dire economic circumstances many traders are facing as a result of the pandemic.