£100k for Kidderminster

It seems our Conservative dominated council are for some reason proud that Kidderminster has been awarded a grant of £100,000 for being home to one of the country's 11 most empty towns - yay?

So what can be done with this money? As part of a different topic the notion of Stourport Market came up - to be precise the absolute lack of one. It used to be on Bridge Street; then shifted to the corner of Lombard Street and now we have none except on 'special' occasions. So what?

Well it struck me that the lack of dedicated market structure knocks out one of the rungs on the ladder necessary for start-ups. In the past a person who wanted to sell something might rent on a short term basis a small area to set up a stall to gauge trade. They may then advance to a more permanent location. Today that would be met with "sell it on the internet". Except that demands postage and packing; card transactions; hosting; domain registration; advertising etc. A stall on a larger market requires little advertising to start and provides a ready-made medium for passing trade something that doesn't exist on the 'net.

Sure Kidderminster has the Thursday and Saturday outdoor markets organised by the unfortunately named LSD Promotions, but there's no all-week indoor area. Hell even Merry Hill has a section put aside for stalls - so why not Kidderminster? Woolwooths is big enough; if the rumours are true Hooty's would also make a good site while at the same time returning some of the trade to the top end of the town from the snatch and grab of Weavers Wharf.

So how about using some of that money for a permanent market place?