YORK'S Newgate Market is floundering due to the incompetent bureaucracy of its council administrators, a prominent former trader has claimed.

Brian Card, who was a bookseller on the market for 12 years, said the council's refusal to listen to traders' suggestions and engage with the idea of a private operator, has prevented the market from flourishing.

He said: "Something needs to be done. Newgate Market is such a vital asset to the city, and yet it has been mismanaged terribly for more than 25 years. The tax-payers should be experiencing the benefit of a thriving city market, yet they are not."

Mr Card, a former committee member and secretary of the local branch of the National Market Traders' Federation, claims the council's market administrators' lack commercial experience.

He said: "The market should be handed over to a private operator, the sooner the better for market traders.

The Government requires the City of York Council to operate York market to its best value and it has failed to do so miserably, costing York taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pounds in lost revenue over the years."

City of York Council was given the opportunity to respond to Mr Card's claims, but referred to a statement they issued in relation to a story in last Thursday's edition of The Press, where Newgate Market trader Steve Clements said business for market traders was "struggling".

The statement from Roger Ranson, the council's assistant director for economic development, said: "The council regards Newgate as an integral part of the city centre retail offer.

"However, the problems being faced by Newgate are not unique; they are being faced by outdoor markets nationally. Regular meetings are held with traders and their ideas on increasing both shopper and trader numbers are always welcome."

Reacting to Mr Clements' claims in last week's The Press, other traders have been keen to state business was still going relatively strongly at the site.

John Cartwright, 24, a trader of fruit, vegetables and eggs, said: "Things are going alright, there aren't as many stalls perhaps, but those that are here are doing a decent trade. It's quite busy in spite of the cold weather."

Another trader, Allan Gorbutt, trading as Allan's Footwear at the site since 1966, said recent business had been slow, but this was typical of the season.

He said: "A lot of traders have holidays around this time of year, so you're never ever going to fill the market. It's too cold for many people, we just collect passing trade. We also have to compete with the sales over the larger retailers - we can't afford to do a 50 or 60 per cent sale."

Responding to Mr Card's calls for the market to be run by a private operator, Mr Gorbutt, who helps to run a non-profit making market in Cottingham, East Yorkshire, thought a private operator running the market for a profit was not the way forward. "You couldn't run a market successfully with a private operator in York. The margins would be too tight" he said.