Closing one and passing on another street market to a town council could save Flintshire Council more than £20,000.

With the exception of Mold, which is still performing well, street market numbers across the county continue to decline, particularly in Flint, Connah’s Quay and Holywell.

Markets in those towns only attract small numbers of traders and limited customer numbers which threatens their sustainability.

As a result, findings from a review and consultation with town councils and market traders will recommend the permanent closure of Flint street market and the transfer of operation of Connah’s Quay street market to the town’s council.

Holywell street market will continue on an interim basis but discussions are to go on with the town council over future cost saving options.

It is thought the move to streamline its market provision will save Flintshire Council £21,000 per year and will be debated by the local authority’s community and enterprise overview and scrutiny committee this week.

Cllr Derek Butler, cabinet member for economic development, said: “Markets generally contribute to the economic and social vitality of towns and can bring more people into town to benefit the wider businesses and services. This is still true in Mold, but the other markets have reduced in size considerably in the last four years, despite promotion and growth initiatives across all market towns.

“In this current economic climate, with the council needing to find further efficiencies on top of the £79m cuts in spending made over the last ten years, it is not realistic to sustain a substantial loss of income into the future.

“We appreciate the concern of local residents, especially those who signed the petition to keep Flint market, and this decision is not being taken lightly.”

At Connah’s Quay Town Council’s March meeting, members were keen to retain their market and saw the adoption as an opportunity rather than a burden.

Cllr Chris Risley, council chairman, said: “This is a great opportunity to take control of our local market.

“We had a really good market at one time.”

Cllr Risley said it was a “no brainer” to take over the market and it was the “first step” in developing and promoting trade in the town.