Distributions, not medians

The record reports medians that hide the trade's trouble: a median rent flat for a decade while entrants pay their bids, a median age flat since 2018, one income median for hawkers who work alone. The plan asks NEA to publish quartiles, the mean and the bottom decile of rent, fees and income by centre and stall type, with dishwashing, point-of-sale and other charges, from data it holds; the Plate Ledger publishes distributions, flows and health measures in the same form.

Who pays

The library gives this mechanism no who-pays tag of its own.

What it builds on

MSE's 2025 medians for rent, conservancy and table cleaning (8 Sep 2026) (§2.2).

The ask of Government

Decision

The spread, not only the median – NEA publishes the spread of rents, fees and income by centre and stall type (the lowest quarter, the middle, the top quarter, the average and the poorest tenth), with the charges it does not publish today, such as dishwashing and point-of-sale fees

Instrument

NEA administrative, from data it holds

Fiscal cost

Zero

What it buys

A median rent can hold for a decade while the hawkers paying it change. The spread shows who pays what, and settles the argument over fees with numbers (§2.2, §2.10).

From §7.7, §2.10, §2.2.

Who gains

Hawkers

Every charge on the record, not only rent (§2.2).

Government

Ends an argument it cannot win with a median (§7.7).