A sudden, controversial order to remove street vendors from two central thoroughfares in Kingstown, the capital of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, has been paused indefinitely, and the country’s deputy prime minister has made a public commitment that the ruling New Democratic Party (NDP) administration will not push vendors out of the city to achieve its public space cleanup goals.
Deputy Prime Minister Major St. Clair Leacock, who also serves as minister of national security and the parliamentary representative for Central Kingstown, laid out the government’s balanced approach during an appearance on *New Times*, the NDP’s official radio program on Monday. Speaking to the public furor sparked by the Kingstown Town Board (KTB)’s abrupt September announcement, Leacock drew a clear distinction between two issues that have been incorrectly conflated in public discussion: the capital’s growing untidiness, and the street vending trade that forms a core part of Kingstown’s local economy.
“We must never, ever link vending to the unsightliness and unpleasant conditions we see across Kingstown,” Leacock stated. “Linking these two issues wrongly creates a harmful narrative that vendors themselves are the source of the capital’s mess, and that simply is not true. Vendors are risk-takers, entrepreneurs, and independent small business owners who contribute greatly to our city.”
Opening his remarks with a personal disclaimer rooted in his own background, Leacock shared that he grew up in a family of vendors. “My parents worked as vendors to build our life, and if they had not made that living through their own hard work, I would not be standing in this position today,” he said. “I cannot betray my own history and roots. If I did, my parents would turn in their graves.”
The controversy unfolded last week, when the KTB announced on a Wednesday that all vending on two of Kingstown’s central streets would have to end just three days later, on September 12. The extremely short notice caught both vendors and the general public off guard, contradicting the policy direction Prime Minister Godwin Friday laid out 100 days after the NDP took office back in March. Following widespread public pushback, the KTB issued a new statement Friday announcing that the planned vendor removal had been “stayed until further notice.”
Leacock made clear that the government’s commitment to supporting vendors does not mean it is abandoning plans to clean up Kingstown. “The capital absolutely needs a comprehensive cleanup — that is not up for negotiation,” he emphasized. The NDP, which won office last November, entered government fully aware of the capital’s appearance issues, and has already received detailed policy proposals to improve public spaces, he added. What the administration is committed to, he said, is finding a balanced, mutually beneficial solution that achieves both goals at once.
“We can deliver a win-win outcome for everyone here. We can have a clean, well-organized Kingstown while still making space for vendors to run their small businesses,” Leacock said, noting that the government is not deterred by the historical political controversy that has followed past attempts to address vending regulations in the capital. “We are not afraid to tackle tough political decisions. But this process cannot drag on forever — we will move forward with a thoughtful, inclusive plan.”
A core principle of the government’s approach, Leacock stressed, will be extensive consultation with all relevant stakeholders, a guardrail against the common mistake of policymakers assuming they already have all the answers. “The worst mistake we could make is to think we know everything, and ignore the people who are most affected by this decision,” he said, naming vendors, local business owners, pedestrians, and tourists as key stakeholders that must be included in the process. A high-level governmental meeting on the issue was scheduled for the day after Leacock’s radio address, and he confirmed that Prime Minister Friday will appoint either a dedicated task force or a single point person to coordinate work between the responsible line ministry and the KTB. Unlike top-down policy models, Leacock added, Friday will not preempt his cabinet minister’s work, and will wait for a full stakeholder report before making any formal public announcements.
Leacock outlined several potential policy solutions currently under consideration, stressing that no final decisions have been made. One proposal, first floated by the late Maxwell “Maxim” James, would see the government introduce standardized, collapsible vending stalls painted in a single national color. These stalls would keep food and produce off the ground to improve public sanitation, and allow vendors to pack up their stalls completely at the end of each day, eliminating the cluttered, mismatched display of multi-colored stalls that currently contributes to a disorganized appearance.
Other options on the table include a formal registration and licensing system to clearly confirm which vendors are authorized to operate in Kingstown, as well as adjusted trading schedules that could restrict vending to specific days — such as concentrating activity in a popular Friday-Saturday weekend market, rather than allowing vending seven days a week. On the topic of funding, Leacock noted that the cost of standardized stalls could be recouped gradually through small monthly rental fees charged to vendors, while the government is still considering whether initial upfront costs will be covered by physical planning authorities, the KTB, or another governmental body.
Leacock also pushed back against circulating political propaganda claiming that Prime Minister Friday has abandoned vendors ahead of any policy reform. “That is absolutely not true,” he said, endorsing a caller’s description of Friday as a leader who firmly believes vendors deserve full dignity for the economic independence they build through their own work. Closing his address, Leacock extended public recognition to the small business owners that form the backbone of Kingstown’s economy: “Let’s salute our vendors, let’s salute our farmers, let’s salute our small business people. Let’s work with them, because we are all major stakeholders in carrying St. Vincent and the Grenadines forward.”