Council to Run Bar and Café at Transformed Accrington Market
Council to Run Bar and Café at Transformed Accrington Market
Hyndburn Borough Council’s Cabinet has confirmed that the Council will directly run the bar and one food outlet – the café – at the transformed Accrington Market when it opens this November. The other food and retail stalls will be run by independent traders and local businesses, including many of the longstanding traders who relocated to the Town Square during construction.
Running the bar and café directly allows the Council to shape the Market as a destination for the whole town centre, setting opening hours and programming around events and activity in the town, sourcing from Market traders and Hyndburn producers wherever possible, and creating local jobs and apprenticeship pathways, particularly for young people. The team will work across both Accrington Market and, from April 2027, Accrington Town Hall, creating a shared hospitality team and career progression routes across the two venues.
The Council’s new Town Centre Venue Manager, Paul Fox, who brings extensive private-sector hospitality experience, will manage the operation. Alongside the Market’s retail and food offer, plans include live music, spoken word, comedy, themed evenings and community events designed to extend the Market’s appeal into the evening and across generations.
Councillor Clare Pritchard, Portfolio Holder for Transformation and Town Centres, said:
“The reopening of Accrington Market marks an important milestone in the town’s regeneration and in securing a long-term future for one of Accrington’s most important assets.
“Markets have always evolved to meet the needs of their communities, and this investment creates a stronger, more sustainable offer that builds on our proud market heritage while attracting new visitors and supporting existing traders.
“The bar and food area will be a programmed, social space where people can meet up with others, enjoy refreshments, discover our traders, and enjoy the activities on offer, including into the evenings. This isn’t about the Council becoming a hospitality business, but rather making sure that the heart of our town centre beats strongly for everyone who lives and works here. Running the bar and café ourselves means we can make them work in the interests of the whole Market, supporting events and activities, buying from local producers, creating opportunities for local people, and making sure it is a safe, inclusive and welcoming place that people of all ages want to spend time in.”
The transformed Accrington Market is a cornerstone of the wider Accrington Town Square regeneration programme, delivered through investment from the UK Government alongside funding from Hyndburn Borough Council and Lancashire County Council. The programme is reshaping the town centre through investment in culture, heritage, leisure and public spaces, helping to attract more visitors, support local businesses and create new opportunities for growth.