JOINT WORKING CHARTER BETWEEN BOROUGH OF BROXBOURNE AND MARKET TRADERS

Both the Council and the market traders want the local markets to be successful and well used. The key to this is close co-operation to ensure they are kept clean, tidy, well ordered, and attractive. This joint working charter sets out the way in which this can be achieved. Traders are asked to familiarise themselves with it.

The area of your stall, including one metre surrounding it, shall be kept free of litter throughout the day. This is your personal responsibility. A black sack is provided to each trader, at each market for this purpose. The Council will provide street cleansing in the market area throughout the trading period to cover the general public areas. In addition, eurobins are provided at all markets for your rubbish during the day.

It shall be the duty of every stallholder to ensure the health, safety and welfare of themselves, employees and anyone who has access to the areas within the stall curtilage. Particular attention should be paid to trip hazards such as trailing cables or floor surfaces, protruding fittings, manual handling and hot surfaces/drinks etc. Goods for sale must be contained within the confines of your stall and MUST NOT spread alongside planters, street furniture, trees etc. Historic monuments must be kept free from all goods, packaging and rubbish. This enhances the whole market and helps the Council to comply with fire and rescue service requirements.

Traders must only offer for sale the goods they are licensed to sell. No other goods may be sold. The Environmental Services Committee of the Council has set guidelines on a market mix, to which officers adhere when taking new traders on to the markets. This will benefit both traders and the market shoppers in providing a varied market.

Pitch signs, exhibiting trader’s name and license number, must be clearly displayed at every market. Any changes to personal details, including vehicle registration numbers, must be communicated to the Operations Officer at the Council offices on 01992 785543.

Vehicles must be removed from the market area by 10.00am. All parking permits for Hoddesdon car parks must be displayed correctly. Failure to do so may result in a parking penalty. Vehicles are not permitted back on the market before 3.30pm at Hoddesdon and 4.00pm at Waltham Cross. All traders MUST leave the market area no later than 6.00pm.

Market traders who pay weekly at the One-Stop Shops MUST do so before 12 noon. The Council also offers a direct debit payment facility to licensed traders, which currently affords a 10% discount. If you do not already pay by direct debit, and would like to do so, please ask the Market Inspector for a Direct Debit form.

Please ensure you attend the market regularly. This benefits both the public and fellow traders alike. The Council reserves your pitch for you – in return please use it. As a licensed trader you are entitled to four weeks annual leave in any one-year, from the 1^st April to 31^st March, and all holiday absence should be notified to the office in advance, via the Operations Officer on 01992 785543. Short notice absence can be notified via Central Control on 01992 639561 for Waltham Cross only, (a message is paged to the market inspector). Hoddesdon traders can phone the clock tower on 01992 467698 and speak to the market inspector (there is an ansafone and messages can be left). Please ensure you use these telephone numbers as absence, with the exception of annual holiday entitlement and special circumstances i.e. illness supported where possible with a Doctor’s certificate, will result in traders being charged for their usual pitch allocation as specified in clause 2.11.3 (c) of your licence.

Please remember any instructions from the Market Inspector must be actioned immediately. If you do not agree with the instructions the Council office is the place to sort it out, not on the market. Please ring the Operations Officer on 01992 785543 if you feel you have a complaint about the market inspector.

The Council holds meetings with the National Market Traders’ Federation representatives twice a year. This is an open forum to which all market traders are welcome. If you have any suggestions on how the management of the market can be improved and are unable to attend these meetings please telephone the Operations Officer on 01992 785543.

Issued April 2005