Mayor Responds To Concern Over Lease Agreement For Vendors

Castries Mayor Geraldine Lendor-Gabriel has responded to Castries arcade vendors’ concerns regarding a new lease arrangement. Saint Lucia Craft and Dry Goods Vendors Association President Peter ‘Ras Ipa’ Isaac said the Castries Constituency Council (CCC) had yet to consult the vendors or the association. Isaac said the CCC asked vendors to sign the new agreement without explanation or allowing them to seek advice. As a result, the association President said after signing the lease, some vendors realised that some conditions were ‘draconian‘. He disclosed that some vendors have occupied their booths in the vendors’ arcade in Castries for close to three decades and believe a two-year agreement would not benefit them. “Some of them already have arrears,” Isaac observed. Nevertheless, he indicated that under the new lease agreement, incurring arrears within three months could result in the revocation of a booth, as would failure to meet the lease conditions. Among other conditions, the lease agreement  prohibits tenants from playing loud music, subletting, having individuals use illicit drugs, and extending their vending units. In response to the Vendors Association President’s concerns, the Castries Mayor declared that a lease does not require consultation with any association. “We have gone to our clients,...