Hackney Market Traders Face Fee Increases of Up to 60%

Hackney Council has proposed increasing fees for market traders by between 10% and 60%, depending on location and waste generated, in its first full review of market charges since 2019.

The increases, which took effect from January 2026 following a public consultation in autumn 2025, are driven primarily by new government regulations requiring businesses to separate dry recycling and food waste, which has increased collection costs significantly. Waste fees alone have risen 155% since the last review.

Traders at Broadway Market, Ridley Road Market and Well Street Market have expressed concern that the rises will push out independent stallholders who operate on thin margins. Broadway Market, which runs every Saturday between London Fields and the Regent's Canal, is one of London's most popular food markets.

The council said it had not passed on cost increases during the pandemic and recovery years, and that no CPI uplift was applied in 2021/22, but that this approach was "no longer sustainable" given rising inflation, energy costs and reductions in central government funding.

Fruit, vegetable and street food traders face the steepest increases due to higher waste volumes. Non-food stalls see increases capped at around 8%.

The fee rises have become an issue in the local elections. Independent candidate Rafie Faruq has argued that the council should protect affordable market rents as part of his wider policy of mandating affordable workspace across the borough. "Markets like Ridley Road and Broadway Market are the economic backbone of their communities. Pricing out independent traders destroys exactly the kind of diversity that makes Hackney special," he said.