York's St Nicholas Fair opens its doors as the chancellor announces tax rises and spending cuts.
St Nicholas Fair has returned to York city centre for its 30th year - and the Christmas market traders did not need to fret over the heavy rainfall that welcomed the first customers on Thursday.Rows of wooden huts selling mulled wine, pork pies, shimmering baubles and jewellery line York's Parliament Street.
"But at the same time, with all the Covid effects, they probably do need to be raising more tax. It's understandable but it's probably not going to be great for us in the short term." But it's the potential rise in business rates in April that worries him the most: "We will have to see how we would cope with that."At the stall next door, Mark Pacan is selling colourful paper star lanterns. It's his 64th birthday and he's happy to be back at the market after missing out last year when he broke his foot and couldn't work on the stall, which is owned by his friend.
"There's a lot [the government] could do to ease things, maybe reduce VAT on fuel, but they seem to lack imagination," he sighs. Also in St Sampson's Square, selling cosmetics and dressed in a pink puffer jacket and woolly hat, is Annabelle Hall.
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