31/03/2023
Today (Friday 31st March) is the final day that Ulverston Community Enterprises will be managing Ulverston’s markets on behalf of South Lakeland District Council.
We took on day-to-day management of Ulverston’s markets operations (market hall and street market) in 2016 for a trial period in order to establish if a social enterprise could operate the markets in a way that helped them to flourish at a time when there was a national trend toward decline.
During that five-year trial period and a one-year extension, UCE guided the markets through immense challenges such as changing shopping habits, pressures on traditional high street shopping and the coronavirus pandemic and its aftermath, but has concluded that long-term sustainability requires broader, strategic influence and an economic strategy beyond the means of a small social enterprise.
Ulverston’s markets need to be considered not in isolation from the local authority’s portfolio of markets across the region but as a constituent part of that portfolio. With government agendas focused on high streets, levelling up and shared prosperity and even a specific focus on the role of markets in those plans, Ulverston’s markets under the current management agreement would risk being left out of the bigger picture, the strategic plans for growth in the region and associated funding streams.
As such, Ulverston’s markets will be placed back in the hands of the local authority where they will join Kendal, Barrow and other markets as part of the new Westmorland and Furness’s portfolio and can be considered as one part of a greater whole and stand the best chance of being reinvigorated and able to play such a vital role in a thriving community.
The new Westmorland and Furness Council will assume responsibility for the markets, on 1 April 2023. All opening hours/days for both indoor and outdoor market will remain the same and we are confident of a smooth transition.
From then all enquiries regarding the markets should be directed to the new Markets Manager [email protected]
Finally we'd like to take the opportunity to express our enormous thanks to Steph Sexton, Markets Manager, who will be leaving the organisation a little later in April. Steph has done a fantastic job looking after the markets and in particular, the traders. We know she will be missed by so many but as a local resident, we hope you will continue to see Steph around and give her a wave when you do.
