WREXHAM Council is hoping for a resolution amid a tense stand-off over contracts with traders at a £4.5 million market and arts centre.

Earlier this week 10 stallholders at Ty Pawb in Wrexham wrote a joint email to council leader Mark Pritchard after the authority threatened to evict a number of them unless they signed contracts by 5pm on Wednesday.

They claimed their businesses were seriously hampered in the first few months of opening because of ongoing building work, and asked for a concession on rent for the period from April to July.

They also highlighted several current problems, including the men's toilets for traders being left unfinished, shutter bay doors not working and the centre being left unlocked on at least three occasions.

Business owners shut their stalls early on Wednesday afternoon as they became locked in talks with council staff, including its head of finance Mark Owen, in the upstairs part of the former People’s Market building.

Following the meeting, it is understood that the authority wrote to all traders yesterday offering some form of discount and attempting to address the issues raised.

A council spokesperson said: “We have met with the traders and feel that positive progress is being made.

“We have written to them to fully update them on the current position.

“We are very confident that the majority of traders will find our approach reasonable and fair.”

The email from traders stated all 10 had either refused to sign contracts or or were in a dispute with the authority.

However they said they were willing to discuss the issue collectively and sign a new licence from the beginning of October if it agreed to accommodate them.

The council has previously pledged to try to improve footfall after concerns were raised over visitor number, including by holding events at the hub.

The flagship centre was opened with a community celebration event in April following the large scale investment.