The small towns and villages around Bradford have suffered badly in recent years as trading centres. Shop after shop has closed as people have lost the local-shopping habit, preferring instead to visit supermarkets and out-of-town malls.

The result has been a growing number of empty premises in high streets, creating a downward spiral. The fewer shops there are in a district or village, the fewer reasons for people to bother to shop there to support those businesses which remain.

Bradford Council's idea of enabling towns and villages to have their own markets could be a way of stopping the rot.

Markets are likely to be given a high profile shortly as the Council goes all-out to win back custom to the refurbished John Street Market once the traders from the temporary Rawson Market and James Street fish market move in next month. Councillor Simon Cooke, executive member for the economy, says the authority wants to do all it can to support a sector which has in the past suffered from neglect.

It could be a good time to promote markets in general - or at least to sound out the public to see if there is enough demand for more of the sort of street market which has already had some success at Idle.

Markets selling partly local produce, partly mixed goods, could help to get people back into the habit of shopping close to where they live and throw the high streets of the district's villages and small towns the lifeline they so desperately need.