The post you are reporting:
Keith, please don't post such inane comments on things you know nothing about.
David, thank you for your post, but before I give a further reply, let me tell you a true story
A couple of years ago or so, I had a call from the General Manager at the Holiday Inn Express at Cheriton - close to Tescos; we used to work together at the Ramada - he was the General Manager and I was the Marketing Manager.
He wanted to meet me to discuss ways in which the Holiday Inn could improve their marketing and fill their rooms; they were doing O.K. but like everyone, wanted more business.
We made a date for me to go and chat to him, but in the mean-time, I did some research on the Hotel and looked at their website and from that made up a marketing plan.
When I saw him, there was another chap there, who was a Venture Capitalist, part of a group of VC who owned the Holiday Inn.
We had a good, comprehensive chat and a very enjoyable working lunch, talking about how I could improve their occupancy levels.
I made the mistake though, of leaving my paper on what to do and how to do it, with them and after a few days I was informed that I didn't get the job, they didn't (now) need me. I heard later that they had employed someone junior to implement all my initiatives - on the instructions of the Venture Capitalist.
I have done it again with the Plan of Action for Dover Town, The Tourism Strategy and the paper on how to bring a successful market to Dover, only this time I am not after a job - I've been told that I will never be given the job and my personal circumstances have changed.
The Town-Team doesn't have to "run" the market, the Market-Manager does that; it's a once a week market - it could be twice if done properly, but what you are proposing is absolutely wrong - talk to the man I recommended, he will run it properly for you (the Town Team).
Don't let the Town Council spend £6,000 on buying new stalls - for existing stall holders, that will be a criminal waste of tax-payers money.
Talk to Kevin, he is a professional market manager and stall-holder, he will tell/show you how to do it - properly.
Horses for courses is a saying - a good saying; neither the Town Council, nor the Town Team have any experience of running markets, you are in the dark, let someone turn your light on.
Near the begininng of when the Town-Team was being set up, after the second meeting when I was told not to attend any more meetings, Steve Davies of the Accommodation Shop - a good guy and a good businessman was charged with finding out all about a street market. He contacted Dover and Channel Chambers of Commerce, he had no reply from the Dover Chamber, but Peter Hobbs, the Chief Executive of the Channel Chamber - a Chamber acredited to the British Chambers of Commerce, told Steve that if he wants to know anything about running a market, ask Roger Walkden - so he did.
I then wrote that paper on how to bring a successful market to Dover, he in turn brought it to your next meeting, but obviously no one took any notice of it; you couldn't have, because if you did, you wouldn't have made the above posting.
If you would like to email me, I will give you Kevin's full name, email address amd mobile phone number - you need to listen to him, he knows what should be done.
Dover District Council do not need to know how to run a market, nor does the Town Council or the Town Team, but for it to be successful, you do need to listen to people who do know.
Good Luck.
Roger