A new set of rules are to be introduced to regulate the Market on The Moor to make it more profitable and ensure staff are not abused.

At a meeting of Falmouth Town Council’s finance and general purposes committee on Monday night, councillors said that staff members had suffered abuse after it was announced the market would revert back to running from March to December this year.

The market on Thursdays and Saturdays was extended to run for 12 months a year from ten after Covid struck to try and help traders get back on their feet.

Now that restrictions have been lifted the market has reverted back to its original time scale prompting the ire of traders who say it is depriving them of their livelihoods.

However town clerk Mark Williams told councillors at a meeting of Falmouth Town Council’s finance and general purposes meeting on Monday night that there had been a problem collecting fees, the gazebos were at the end of their operational life and the current economic climate was making it difficult to maintain the subsidy.

He said The Market on the Moor has to adapt and adjust to ensure it can continue in the future without risk to Falmouth Town Council.

He said currently it is not profitable due to a combination of factors including no price increases, trader payment arrears and FTC management capacity.

He said in his view the council should continue to support the community benefits of the market but regulate it, hence the recommendations he had made.

These include increasing pitch prices with an annual review set in; new clear, concise contracts to factor in new payment, conduct, civility and cancellation terms.

No market trader can operate if in arrears and unless payment has been received in advance. The market won’t trade with less than six traders on the day.

There would also be the Introduction of a market representative ensure the code of conduct is followed at weekends and who will voice concerns or ideas to the market manager.

“This will help to enforce a positive working relationship between the traders and Falmouth Town Council,” he said in his report.

Cllr Jayne Kirkham said she supported the proposals and that things would have to change and people would actually have to pay.

She was backed by Falmouth mayor Steve Eva who said: “Not only is it not being financially run right at the moment, but our staff have suffered abuse themselves by the traders, verbal abuse, and we have a right to protect our staff.”

He added: “We are losing tax payers money to allow maybe five to ten traders to make a living. That is not the right use of tax payers money.”

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He said traders were told originally the extension would only be for one year and that it was a one off and they knew that all along and now they were trying to say they didn’t know.

Cllr Kirsty Edwards said she had quite “serious concerns” that civility and respect is maintained to council staff and councillors on this. “We operate on a certain set of terms and nobody should be exempt from that and there have been some challenges around managing the market,” she said.

David Saunby said he was “really disappointed” that it had come to this. “I think we’ve got to really tighten up on this. No money; no stall, simple,” he said.

Councillors voted unanimously to recommend approval of the recommendations.