Archive - Thursday, 6 June 2002


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Rise in fees may be death knell for WI markets

WOMEN'S Institutes are fighting a tenfold rise in registration fees which have been imposed on their markets - and which they fear could sound the death knell of many of them.

For years, the WI markets have paid an annual fee of £25 to insurance and financial societies in order to be registered, which allows the markets to be staged. However, now the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has taken over the registration responsibility under a new act of Parliament - and the fees have rocketed to £280.

One of the leading markets in the WI's North Yorkshire East area is at Pickering where, each Thursday, members and some non-members sell a wide range of home baking, goods and produce at the Over-60s club.

Mrs Eva Heselton, the controller, said: "We provide a good service which is very much appreciated and has been since we set it up 18 years ago."

"It is a popular market - people are even queuing before we open the doors at 9.45am."

The WIs also deliver food parcels and man the market for 50 weeks a year. Only during the two weeks over Christmas and New Year is it suspended.

Judi Binns, the area's voice at WI headquarters, said: "The markets themselves are non-profit-making and it does seem unfair that they should have to pay such a high figure because the money will have to be found from somewhere unless there is a change of heart."

She added that all North Yorkshire's MPs, representing all three parties, had been lobbied and agreed to give their support to an early day motion in the House of Commons which has been tabled by David Laws MP to draw attention to the FSA anomaly of charging WI markets the same fees as large financial institutions.

"The markets are being charged irrespective of the amount of turnover and it is unfair," added Mrs Binns.

Now some 50 MPs have supported Mr Laws's motion that WI markets should be treated as a special case. No date has yet been fixed for the motion to be heard in the House of Commons but it is likely to be in the next few weeks.

Mrs Heselton said: "We are not in the same league as big financial institutions. We are trying to remain active as WIs and involved in communities by baking, making and selling. None of us is ever going to get rich by selling our produce. We just enjoy meeting people and providing a community service."

Updated: 09:21 Thursday, June 06, 2002