A £175,000 contract awarded to a company less than a year old to develop plans for a new Birkenhead Market in an old Argos on Princes Pavements has come under heavy criticism. The local authority is continuing to move ahead with the plans despite it being unpopular with traders.

Market North West Ltd, a company formed in November 2023, was awarded in August a consultancy contract of more than £175,000 over 21 months to support the development of a new Birkenhead Market in the Argos. This work includes branding, market pre-letting, and how the market will operate going forward.

The company was also previously sub-contracted to provide a report that was presented to councillors in March. It’s run by Raymond Linch who has previously run a number of markets across the UK and draws on “decades of industry experience.”

A Wirral Council spokesperson said processes were “carried out correctly” and the process was open viewed by 28 suppliers and three bids submitted. They said: “The one which was rated ‘most economically advantageous tender’ – a phrase given to the highest scoring bidder merging the quality and price scores – won the contract. A financial standing report was carried out pre-award, and no red flags were raised.”

However, during an economy and regeneration meeting on September 16, Will Featherstone, a market trader who runs Wirral Flower Market and whose father has applied to run a market out of the vacant M&S in the Pyramids Shopping Centre, raised concerns about the council’s use of the company. He also said he believes there’d been “a number of breaches” by the council including incorrect information about asbestos in the current market used to dismiss the redevelopment of that building, lack of published assessments or consultations before decisions, and it “failed to consider” its legal requirements.

He said Market North West “have failed to produce any calculations regarding traders in needing 400 square metres instead of the 1,700 square metres currently being occupied.” The council argues traders are taking up extra space in vacant units in the market and there needs to be “more efficient space in new markets.”

He said traders being offered Argos was “very similar to 'you’re on a sinking boat, are you interested in the life raft?'", adding: “The main concern I have is it’s so much of a rush spending grant money, you’re not actually considering the negative implications of what’s going to happen with that money.

“The consultancy firm has already been involved in other markets in other town centres to great detrimental effect. One of the councillors in a different area said it basically strip-lined the town. It lost all of its individuality. They promised that it was going to be the heart of the town centre and it wasn’t.”

Asking a question earlier in the meeting, Mr Featherstone also claimed he’d been told by representatives of Market North West no consultations had been started and there weren’t any currently in the pipeline.

He added: “I find it quite frustrating if council officers’ work is questioned in any way shape or form, it’s met by immediate hostility. The councillors in this room have been voted into your roles by the people that you represent.”

He added: “Put Argos on hold to allow conscientious consultations, have the impact study done, an honest refurbishment study of the current market and one of the assets that you have is the M&S building.

“That does have a lot of space. We’ve done the plans. We’ve run the numbers and it would be foolish not to follow that with the added bonus that Marksies will actually pay a lot of money to get out of their contract.”

Mr Featherstone’s father, Alan Featherstone, has applied for a market rights licence to allow him to operate at a market from the vacant Marks and Spencer unit in the Pyramids Shopping Centre. The application was made back in April but no date has been set nor an explanation put forward for the delay by the local authority.

The location of Marks and Spencer is incredibly popular with traders and has been for a long time. It was originally discounted by Wirral Council due to the cost of buying out Marks and Spencer’s lease but that was before the local authority bought the shopping centre.

The council decision to award the contract has also come under heavy criticism from Birkenhead councillor, Pat Cleary, who said: “It’s disappointing to see this decision which strongly indicates the council is unwilling to engage constructively with market traders around their recent application to establish a market in the former M&S building. This is a mistake in my view. 

“There are also questions for the council to answer regarding the advice provided to councillors before the controversial decision to use the Argos building for a future market and this subsequent decision to retain the same company to assist with that move. Wirral Council should recognise that the Argos decision has shattered confidence in the local community that the council can deliver on its regeneration vision. There is now an opportunity for a reset and the council should embrace that with open arms.”

Concerns have also been raised by the Birkenhead Market Tenants Association about the decision to award the contract to such a new company. Greg McTigue, a representative of the tenants association, said there had been “no transparency at all about that contract apart from being assured Raymond Linch has been responsible for 250 markets.”

A spokesperson for Market North West said: “MKT North-West is a market consultant specialist drawing on decades of industry experience. Alongside the council we have undertaken a significant amount of work to understand appetite from traders for space in the new market. While the overall space available will be significantly more than the 400m2 mentioned, we believe the new location is entirely sufficient for current traders who have expressed an interest in relocating as well as presenting opportunities for new traders to come on board.

“The renewal and revitalisation of Birkenhead Market represents a fantastic opportunity for the town and will help to regenerate the wider area, bringing new employment opportunities and increased footfall. Our experienced consultants have worked on numerous similar schemes, which have helped to provide councils, communities and business owners with significant improvements to their markets and food halls.”

Mr McTigue also said they were told by the council the new market model will be rents based on turnover with those at the front of the market paying more while those at the back pay the least. He felt this model will take away traders’ independence and could be taken advantage of. 

Wirral Council did not respond to questions on this matter. When previously asked about whether it may plan to privatise the market in the future, Wirral Council said in July it will “review the operating model, as we consider options on how best to solidify the market’s long term future and provide the best offer to our customers. At this stage no decisions on the operating model have been made and will be subject to further options analysis.”

Going forward, Mr McTigue, said he still had grave concerns about the future, telling the LDRS: “It would be the end of the market as we know it. The chapter of Birkenhead being a market town will disappear.

“The history, the heritage, and the opportunities that have been brought to the town for new small businesses. I can’t see that those small businesses survive without the market and it would be very hard to have a market with no greengrocer.”