Mayor announces London Markets Board
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced plans to recruit a team of industry experts and business leaders to help preserve and grow London’s vibrant markets.
The London Markets Board, the first of its kind in the capital, will ensure that markets continue to flourish, support growth in high streets and town centres, and remain vibrant attractions for all Londoners and visitors the capital.
It will advise on the delivery of a London markets strategy, and on action to support and promote the capital’s markets, which have seen considerable growth
The Greater London Authority Website, who, at the time of going to press, were recruiting for board members, states, ‘The Board will consist of between 12 and 14 members, who between them will cover a range of expertise and provide thought leadership on the key issues across the broad agenda of markets in London. Board members will reflect different sectors of the market’s community, including organisations responsible for managing and running markets in London and those representing operators and tenant/trader associations.’
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said, ‘I’m a proud Londoner and a proud Englishman who has grown up with traditional street markets. Markets are deeply woven into the tapestry of English culture and nowhere is that more true than here in London. ‘
‘I have pledged not just to preserve and protect London’s markets but also to set up our very first London Market Board to help ensure that these spaces thrive for the benefit of local entrepreneurs, small businesses and everybody who visits them.’
NABMA,’s Chief Executive, Graham Wilson, commented ‘London has a rich variety of markets and the Mayor’s decision to establish a Markets Board recognises the importance of markets and the vital role they play in many aspects of London life. The Markets Board will provide the ideal opportunity to raise the profile of markets and address some of the issues that are important in securing a successful future for markets. The Markets Board is the beginning of a new era for markets and one that everyone associated with markets welcomes with great anticipation.’
New report on London’s Markets
In addition to the implementation of the London Markets Board, the Mayor has tasked City Hall with examining the social and economic value of markets within London. A major report, ‘Understanding London’s Markets’, produced by ROI Team, is due to be published by the GLA in June.
It will outline the value markets bring to local communities and London as a whole, in relation to employment, skills and training, community cohesion, health and well-being and culture. It will also include the first ever map of all of London’s markets, which will be published online.
MTN will be covering the details of this report in a future issue.