Sunday, 1 May 2016

Trader Elections


New elections for Trader Representatives will be held later this year, possibly late August, or early September. This weekend’s Trader Bulletin will contain full details of the election process including a timetable of information sessions for traders starting on Tuesday 17th May.

The current group of 10 representatives were elected back in 2012. A new format of 13 market precincts has been drawn up with 2 Trader Representatives to be elected in each precinct. Only one Trader Representative from each precinct will attend meetings of the new Trader Representative Committee however the expanded group will significantly ease the workload of representatives particularly as we head into renewal. Some details of how the elections will be conducted have yet to be finalised including the nominating and voting procedure for traders trading in different precincts on different days. 

The old system of trader categories (e.g. PE & SL Traders) has been abandoned in favour of geographical precincts although, for the first time, casual traders will have their own representatives. The aim of the geographical precincts is that local issues will be easier to handle and the process of communication between traders and their representatives will be enhanced. Again the mechanics of that process have yet to finalised and will no doubt be the subject of information session discussions.

The last election in 2012 was a rushed affair with little chance to identify proper objectives and procedures. This time we have an opportunity to clearly identify the purpose of the election, establish a structure to facilitate communication and decision making during renewal, engage with possible candidates for election, and generally create an effective Trader Representative Committee to best serve the interests of market traders and the market.