LOVE YOUR LOCAL MARKET
Thanks to everyone who has already registered for this year’s campaign and the early starters who have been quick off the mark and got engaged with our social media conversations on registration launch last week. Our Love Your Local Market website has been given a fresh new luck which you should find easier to navigate with some useful downloadable logos, a template press release with quotes from President, Chris Rosling-Josephs and Minister for High Streets and Markets, Jake Berry.
There’s also an updated toolkit for new markets. Don’t forget you don’t have long to order your branded merchandise. Sponsors, Gala Tent have advised that the latest cut-off date for orders is 27th April if you want to have your deliveries in time for the festival which runs from 17th – 31st May.
ROYALTY COMES TO HALIFAX
The sun shone brightly on Halifax last week for the visit of His Royal Highness Prince Charles and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall. Social media shared lots of lovely photos and videos of NABMA’s Deputy President, Councillor Geraldine Carter, Calderdale Borough Council meeting the royal couple being shown around by NABMA good practice officer, John Walker, Manager of Halifax Market and 2017 Market Manager of the Year.
PRESTON MARKET RE-OPENS
Also last week, there was more positive regional news coverage on the other side of the Pennines, where Preston Market in Lancashire reopened last week after a multi-million pound refit.
Read more https://www.lep.co.uk/news/doors-open-on-preston-s-impressive-markets-1-9014206
WELCOME BACK
NABMA is delighted to announce that Chris New will resuming part of the role he previously occupied providing additional support on some of our key services such as health checks and training. Chris will also be arranging a meeting of the Officer Advisory Group in May so we can keep under review some of projects that NABMA is currently pursuing.
REGIONAL MEETINGS – UPDATE
Please note that the previously published list of calendar dates for the regional meetings has been revised. Booking is now open for the event in Cambridge and Warrington.
Full details will follow on future dates and locations.
BOOK FOR CAMBRIDGE BOOK FOR WARRINGTON
MARKETS BENCHMARKING WORKSHOPS
A meeting of the Markets Benchmarking Working Group took place on 14th February 2018, at APSE’s offices in Manchester. Following the successful benchmarking trial last year, markets are now part of the APSE Performance Networks along with other local authority frontline services such as waste and refuse collection, parks and environmental services, leisure, cleaning and building maintenance.
The meeting was represented by 11 local authorities where the current PI’s were reviewed and further refined ahead of data gathering for 2017/18.
To help with data collection each of the PI’s have been assigned as either essential or desirable, the latter assists those local authorities that my not gather this information.
APSE will be holding a free training day at the end of May/early June to help and guide local authorities in how to complete the data entry templates. The deadline for completing the data collection returns is 6th July 2018, so that the results can be presented at our annual conference in September.
Any local authorities wishing to join the Markets Benchmarking Working Group will be welcome and can contact NABMA for further details and, if necessary, can be put in touch with one of the working group members for help and advice. If any local authorities are already members of APSE’s performance networks then membership is free.
Finally in April this year NABMA and the NMTF will be issuing the annual markets surveys, which along with the results of the benchmarking working group will provide a valuable up to date health check of the markets industry across the UK.
NABMA SUBSCRIPTIONS
Many thanks to the members who have been able to pay the 2018/19 subscriptions from their current budgets. It is support like this that has enabled NABMA to keep subscription rates at the same level for fifteen years. A record that no other national organisation can rival. If you still find you have a surplus in your current budget this is your last chance to request early payment of next year’s subscription.
Contact roger.dyke@oswestry-tc.gov.uk