Tenants of St John’s Market say they were evicted without notice by Liverpool City Council on Monday.
A closure notice was served to 43 traders, with only a few days to collect their stock.
The Council say that they were left with “no option” but to close the Market, after tenants failed to pay up to £1.7 million in debt.
In a statement from the council, they said:
“The Council wrote to the non-paying businesses in October last year informing them that all outstanding monies were due.
“A reminder was then sent in January, with an adjoining letter inviting the 43 non-paying businesses to enter meaningful negotiations, within a 30-day deadline.”
Liverpool Council Liberal Democrat Leader, Carl Cashman supports the traders and believes that they were treated unfairly.
“It’s quite clear to me that for a very long time the Council has not made the correct decision with St John’s, in terms of the refurbishment and their treatment of tenants.
“Personally, I would say that the Council owes them an apology and an explanation.
“When they’ve gone to make offers, the council hasn’t entered a meaningful conversation with them.
The rent should be calculated on the footfall and there hasn’t been any rent review in a long time. The traders think the footfall is significantly lower than what the council have estimated it at.”
