Berwick Street traders have written to City Hall questioning why rents are going up ‘in the thick of the pandemic crisis’

• YOUR August 21 headline story “Market fury at pandemic hike in rent” is right to emphasise what traders in Berwick Street market say will be a catastrophic hit during the Covid-19 crisis in the West End.

But let us not forget this is hitting all the street markets in the City of Westminster including Church Street NW8, Maida Hill W9, Rupert Street W1, Strutton Ground Market SW1 and Tachbrook Street Market SW1.

Similar questions are being asked about why small businesses here are being hit by these increases in the thick of a pandemic crisis since the beginning of July.

While many of the businesses in these other street markets are dependent on local trade alone, it makes the increases for the pitches even more stark, hampering regeneration efforts in markets like Church Street even harder in incredibly difficult times.

We need the council to roll back these hikes to help the recovery in our local economies that the government is so keen to progress during the autumn of this year.

MURAD QURESHI
Labour, Assembly Member for Greater London
City Hall, SE1