Angry shopkeepers protest dodgy leases

Queen’s Market shopkeepers turned to the public for support in their long-running fight with Newham Council.

Aided by Friends of Queen’s Market shoppers they gave out hundreds of leaflets explaining their plight.

‘Some of the shopkeepers have dodgy leases which mean they don’t get full protection from the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954. When their leases end the Council charges whatever it likes, in some cases doubling the rent. This has a knock-on effect on all Queen’s Market traders when their rents are reviewed’. 

 ‘For two years we’ve been asking the Council to do the right thing and issue the same lease to all traders with full 1954 Act rights. In March the Mayor’s office sent a very friendly email promising that once a response was finalised they would be in contact. Since then we got auto-acknowledgements – but no response!’ stated Pauline Rowe of Friends of Queen’s Market.

Shopper activist Andrew Peel added ‘Many shops have received impossible rent demands: together they already pay the Council £600,000k per year: none of it is ring-fenced for the market and the roof still leaks!’

John shopping at B & M Food centre said ‘The Council take our money; they give it back during Covid now they take it for rent: you can’t win!’

Mr Arifi owner of Khyber Meats explained his predicament ‘My lease has expired: I have one of the dodgy leases so I have no automatic right to lease renewal. My solicitor never explained this when I took out the lease ten years ago. I am worried sick. If they put a thirty per cent rent increase on me I’ll have to close and my workers will lose their jobs.’

Mrs Begum of Fish Bazaar said ‘Shopkeepers pay twelve thousand pounds for a tiny kiosk: rents here are way too high already: how can they demand more?’

Haberdashery trader Ashok Kaul said ‘I am one of the traders with an unprotected lease and I have been warned that I could face a hundred per cent rent increase when it expires next year. How can any trader in our position plan for the future? We have been told that the Council wants to support its small shopkeepers – let’s at least have a real answer to our requests for lease security.’

Sasha Laurel, chair of Friends of Queen’s Market commented on the Saturday event ‘All the shoppers we met supported our call for trader justice. We did hope to see the Mayor when she visited the market and remind her of the shopkeepers’ plight. But she arrived after we had all gone back to shops and homes. A pity but we won’t give up.’

Last word to shopper and community worker Vijaya Patel  ’We don’t want our shops priced out of Queen’s Market –people need them. Let’s see some of the Council’s promised support for small businesses.’