PLANS for a rent rise of up to 70 per cent for Oxford’s Covered Market traders are to be discussed by city councillors.

The council’s value and performance scrutiny committee will meet on Tuesday, with the controversial rent increase on the agenda.

The council started consulting traders over the rise, which could be between 40 and 70 per cent for some, earlier this year, sparking widespread objection.

In the summer, the committee commissioned a review panel led by Liberal Democrat Jean Fooks and Labour’s Oscar Van Nooijen to look into lines of inquiry for a “select committee”, due to meet in January.

But in a report being presented to the meeting, they have advised councillors that a January hearing would be “premature”.

Mrs Fooks said the findings of an independent chartered surveyor commissioned by the council should be awaited.

She said: “It’s not right at this moment to start rushing into a select committee in January, there’s no point butting in when they [chartered surveyors] are halfway through their work.

“I think at the moment traders feel they haven’t had as much support as they would like from the council.”

Oxford Cheese Company owner Robert Pouget also called for any hearing to be postponed, so traders have time to put their objections across.

He said: “The council is saying the rents should reflect high street rents but what they don’t take into account is the fact we can’t sell what we want.

“If I had a shop on the High Street and I wanted to start selling bread or doing sandwiches, I could do that, but in the market we have restricted tenancies.

“Also, we can only trade within the hours the council has the market open, and we have to put up with bad maintenance and a leaking roof.”

But Sandie Griffith, who owns the Gemini Flower Shop in the market, said traders were tired of waiting for a decision on the rents. She said: “We started talking to the council about the rents in September last year, and they were supposed to come in in March, so the sooner we get it sorted the better.

“I think it will end up going to an independent arbitrator anyway.

“A lot of businesses in here are looking to sell up, and we don’t like the uncertainty in this difficult time.

“If my rent goes up by 55 per cent, which is what they’ve asked for, I don’t know how I’m going to cope.”

Last month, the Oxford Mail reported that 10 out of 58 businesses in the historic market, roughly one in six, are looking to move out.

Executive member for city development Colin Cook said he was not aware of plans for a select committee, but agreed any hearing in January would come too early.

He said: “I think it would be a struggle, given that things quieten down over Christmas in terms of trying to get anything done.”

Council policy dictates the rent agreements at the market, known for its independent shops and boutique traders, are re-negotiated every five years. The scrutiny committee will advise the city executive board on its findings.