There are fears that budget-cutting measures by Alsager Town Council could mean the end of the town's weekly market.

Stallholders say they've been told to move indoors to the Civic Centre for the Wednesday markets – but fear this will mean their businesses are no longer viable.

The town council says the market is running at a £40,000 annual loss, and that this is unsustainable.

Steve Lovatt, 63, attends Sandbach and Alsager markets, and has had a flower stall at both for the past three decades.

He's the only remaining trader who's attended since Alsager market began in 1993, but believes his business would cease if he was forced to move inside the Civic Centre.

He said: "They're not killing the market, but they're handing us the noose and asking us to jump.

"I'm totally reliant on this market to survive. It's not a hobby, it's my livelihood.

"Because of the size of this stall, with all the flowers and the plants, to transport it from the car park into the Civic Centre would just be impossible.

"There's all the mess from the soil and the water, so the logistics won't work.

"Plus I don't think people are going to find us in there. It's definitely a focal thing as they come onto the car park.

"We're going to lose a lot of sales by being in there. I feel we're not going to make enough money to survive.

"The council say we can't put our own gazebos up – but I can't work without a cover because my flowers would be damaged by the weather.

"The people of Alsager are absolutely distraught that they may lose their market, which has been going for a long time. It's heartbreaking."

Hayley, 37, (pictured below) travels from Kidsgrove to run Scruffy Mutts Snack Shack which sells food and treats for dogs.

She said: "We've all got our own gazebos, so we could manage the market ourselves and just pay the pitch fee, but they're saying they'd still have to manage it to make sure it's all safe.

"We only see them for five minutes at the beginning and five minutes at the end, so they're not managing it – they're just taking the money, because that's the only time we see them really."

She added: "I run another business as well as this, so it's not my livelihood as such, but I've built up a customer base and it's not fair on them.

"They've not said whether dogs will be allowed inside, and all my customers bring their dogs because it's a dog stall."

She said there are two business that use vans – the fishmonger and refill shop – and having some stalls inside with the vans outdoors would split up the market.

Hayley said: "They wouldn't be with us because they've got their vans, we'd be split up, so it would be a disjointed market and that's not what a market is.

"If we're inside, people can't see we're there but with the gazebos as soon as you turn onto the car park you can see the market and you can see something's happening.

"We'd lose that passing trade.

"They've said they will pay for advertising the market inside, but that will cost money. Keeping it where it is, that's not going to cost money because everyone knows we're here."

She said there are fears that taking the market off the car park is a step towards turning it into a pay and display car park. The car park is currently free of charge.

Julie Williams, 49, joined the market in July 2022 and has been attending every week since with her van.

She runs The Fill Up Shop, and also attends markets in Sandbach and Nantwich as well as Hall Farm Shop in Alsager.

She said she can't realistically move her products indoors, and doesn't feel there'll be enough passing trade if the van she operates from isn't surrounded by the other stalls.

She explained: "I could take a table in [to the Civic Centre], but I've got all the goods that are refill bottles and tubs.

"I've got 20 litre bottles for the refills, and I can't carry all those in. It would be a nightmare.

"The trailer is the dispensing element of my business. I can't easily decant this into a room because I'm all set up to work out of it – I've got a sink to wash my hands, for hygiene, and all that stuff ties in to how it operates.

"If I moved indoors I'd end up with just a table, so I couldn't offer the refill element which is the plastic-free, environmentally friendly element of the business.

"With the trailer, I've got the option of being outside the Civic Centre where there's no footfall or I could potentially be out in the car park with the fish guy.

"So they're not getting rid of the market, but everything they're doing is going to kill the market so it's the same principle as far as I'm concerned.

"If I'm out here along with the fish van, there is no market. It's just two of us with a couple of vans.

"People wander round a market, and you'll lose all of that."

Speaking at a council meeting on Tuesday (24th January), Cllr Michael Annett said: "The council hasn't decided to close the Wednesday market.

"In terms of the budget, the council decided to make cost savings when it comes to the market by not replacing the gazebos.

"That would still allow stallholders who bring their own equipment, or are trading from vans."

He said the council was considering different options for the future of the market, and that final decisions had not yet been made.

It's hoped a plan will be decided by the end of March about what the future holds for the market.

"Staff members and councillors are working hard on those proposals," he said.

"There was a consultation for the budget – which consulted on many different services the council provides – and it did lead to a decision that a £40,000 loss on the market was a massive loss.

"So, that was reduced to reduce the [council tax] precept because it would mean a massive increase on each taxpayer in the town to fund our services.

"We are going to look at alternative solutions. I hope that will be an opportunity to work with stallholders and stakeholders on what the best opportunity is for the market and how we can revitalise the market.

"I don't think it means the end of the market."

There is also concern that moving the market indoors will mean a monthly coffee morning which raises funds for The Christie charity would be displaced.

Cllr Philip Williams said: "I don't see why we can't maintain a sense of community that the market gives, inside as well as outside – or a bit of both.

He added: "We're not here to do anybody out of things, we're here to hopefully serve the community and not do people down.

"I would hope whatever we do would maintain that sense of community – give it a trial, give it a go, but if it doesn't work we can review it."