York has a long-standing and thriving traditional city-centre market, run by committed local traders who offer fresh local produce and other quality products day in, day out, 52 weeks a year.

Make it York, a commercial company wholly-owned by York City Council, have put unfair traffic restrictions in place in the run-up to Christmas, against the advice of the local police and council traffic and transport officers, in order to support a temporary Christmas market coming in from outside the area to attract tourists. This will see our own local market traders not allowed access until late in the evening three days a week from 14th November until 22nd December, potentially working unsafe and illegal 16-hour days, or having to stop trading on those days.

Make it York have refused to listen to the local market traders, local councillors, and our local MP. They have been offered suggestions for compromise schemes which have worked in previous years, and rejected them. We need to show them that local people care about our market, and will fight to have our long-standing market traders treated fairly, reasonably and with respect.