Several street vendors who ply their trade from Marhill Street in The City are crying foul because their permits have not been renewed since December last year.
The vendors say that the non-renewal of the licences is a ploy to force them off the streets and into the Ministry of Agriculture’s public markets.
About eight of over ten affected street vendors yesterday met with president of The Barbados Association of Retailers, Vendors and Entrepreneurs (BARVEN), Allister Alexander, to air their grievances and discuss a plan of action after they were forced to pack up and leave after police reported them for vending illegally last Saturday.
Alexander explained that the affected vendors were told via a letter that their licences were not being renewed because they were allocated spaces in the Marhill Street vendors’ mall. However, vendors, including Margo Hoyte and Ermine Squires, who have been vending on Marhill Street for over 25 years, are adamant that they do not want to be in the malls and the stall assignments were not discussed with them.
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