Darlington Council is under fire for failing to honor its pledge to regain control of the indoor market, sparking concerns over transparency.
A report discussed creating a new MAM agreement, since MAM manages the market, the council needs help, because they can’t manage it alone.
Labour pledged market control before elections in 2023; now a councilor says Labour broke their promise. The Labour Party voted against regaining control, and they later abandoned their commitment after reelection since the council assigned MAM responsibility in 2017.
MAM had to improve the market, so the council revamped the area, adding food and more events since this aimed to attract younger people.
Many traditional traders closed as a result, and a councilor now worries about private talks, as he feels it lacks transparency and feels the decision shouldn’t be secret.
The council’s chief executive defended the closed meeting since it matched a past procedure from 2017, which involved a MAM loan, the report is currently secret due to business reasons.
