By Claudia Gardner:
Grave concerns have been raised in the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) about what has been described as the wanton take-over of the sidewalks in the town of Hopewell, by street vendors.
The matter was brought up by Mayor of Lucea and Chairman of the HMC, Sheridan Samuels, during July’s Regular Monthly Meeting of the Corporation, while discussing a registration blitz for the parish’s vendors.
“And another thing too, what type of enforcement is happening right now because I see where the sidewalk in Hopewell is now taken over by some vendors; taken over by vendors right now. Coal pots, soup man, tents, stands put up,” the Mayor said.
“Councillor Brown, what is happening within your space, the town of Hopewell? I have seen that sidewalk that was cleaned the other day is now taken over by vendors,” he said to the Councillor of the Hopewell Division, Devon Brown.
In response, Brown said that he too found the apparent takeover of the sidewalks very disconcerting.
“Chairman, is a good thing you mentioned that chairman. You know, I was waiting on the Enforcement Manager to come back to work chairman, because what I have realized chairman, I don’t want to go out there like that,” Brown explained.
“The Enforcement Manager – I want him to come chairman. I am sorry I couldn’t make it to planning meeting Tuesday to raise the point,” he added.
Brown not averse to streetside vending
The Hopewell councillor also said that while he was not averse to people peddling their wares in his town, he was displeased that after selling their produce, they were leaving their cooking implements behind, and the sidewalk in total disarray.
“But chairman, while I don’t object to certain vending at certain times, like in the late evenings, when they finish, they need to pick up all the things. If they come out in the evening to vend like late evenings, I don’t have a problem with that. But they must take up back the things,” the Councillor said.
“When you look you see some blue tear-up tear-up tarpaulin, drum pan ova here suh, push cart ova here suh. Di whole town not looking good chairman, but as I said, I want the Enforcement Manager to come and do an operation there. If you come to Hopewell square in the mornings, it’s like Coronation Market,” Brown added.
Mayor Samuels concurred with Brown, adding that: “I don’t like what I am seeing there. Hopewell was like a Canada one time – clean.”
The last time there was a major crackdown on wanton roadside vending in Hopewell was in March 2008, when vendors were ordered to leave the streets by the then Hanover Parish Council.
At the time scores of vendors were issued seven-day notices ordering them to get off the street and relocate to the Hopewell Market, as the Council was taking what it described as “a zero tolerance approach to street vending”.
However the vendors had complained that the market was in a substandard state and was therefore not only unfit for food vending, but, in addition was affected by pests.
In February 2020, Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie had broken ground for the rehabilitation of the Hopewell Market.
The project, which was to be undertaken over a four-month period, was to cost $20 million with a scope of work including expansion of the existing facility, reroofing and reinforcement of the structure, construction of new sanitary facilities and the installation of new plumbing and electrical fixtures. A parking lot was also to be built to facilitate vendors, who operate from motor vehicles.
The groundbreaking had come two years after the Minister announced a market rehabilitation project for Jamaica during his contribution to the 2018/19 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.
During his address at the ground breaking ceremony in Hopewell, McKenzie said that the project was a reiteration of the Government of Jamaica’s commitment to the improvement of market infrastructure across the island. He had also said that markets were critical to the country’s economic survival and were major sources of income for many Jamaicans.
Enforcement and Compliance
In May last year, the Hanover Municipal Corporation’s Enforcement and Compliance Department resumed its efforts to remove vendors who were operating illegally from all major town centres in the parish, in an operation supported by a team of police officers, soldiers and staff members of the Corporation.
At the time Enforcement and Compliance Department manager Craig Oates, said that the operation, was designed to have a threefold impact which included curtailing the spread of COVID-19, assisting in maintaining proper traffic and pedestrian control and regulating vending in the town.
Oates had said also said that a zero-tolerance approach would be taken during the exercise, as the errant vendors were properly advised of the operations and had no reason to be sprawled on the streets, as the markets had adequate space to accommodate them all.
The markets he said, were properly sanitised and measures put in place to have them cleaned continuously during the pandemic.
He had also stated further that any vendor founding selling on the streets would be ordered to relocate to the markets. Failure to comply would result in their goods being seized and court action taken aginst them, he had said.
There are more than 50 active markets in Jamaica, and they are all regulated by the respective Municipal Corporations, which are responsible for vendor registration.
Vendor Registration
The requirements for vendor registration are as follows:
Tax-payer Registration Number (TRN), two passport size photographs and a national form of ID or passport and a registration fee of $2,500.00 per annum (fee is subjected to changes).
According to the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, the registration is an annual process, “which begins on April 1, of one year to March 31, of the other year”.
According to the rules, vendors who have already been registered and have decided to cease vending operations must return their vendor Licence Book to the Corporation for cancellation. Failure to return the book, is an indication that the licence remains active “and the annual licence fee/s will remain outstanding to corporation”.
If a vendor decides to resume vending them they are required to re-apply for registration and licensing.
According to the rues, all vendors are changed user fees to sell in the Markets and vendor licenses which are issued, can only be used in the market which are specified. In addition, the vendor can only sell the type of goods specified in the book at the dates and times specified.
