Councillor Bob Richardson moved a notice of motion to get the council to develop a policy in relation to vendors using council streets and land. 

“During much of March 2017 a soft serve ice [cream] vendor has been stationed inside the Westbury Recreation Ground fence selling its wares,” he said.

“It has been positioned in a highly visible position, attracting custom particularly users of Meander Valley Road (and) footpath traffic.”

Cr Richardson’s main concern was for the local food business owners.

“The van was parked on council land, between 50 and 80 metres from someone who pays rates and water rates and that seems to me to be unfair competition,” he said.

Councilor Tanya King was the only person to vote against the motion. 

“I think that small businesses already have enough policies and procedures and legislation to comply with, without loading them up with another policy,” she said. 

Cr King believes Cr Richardson’s point about not paying rates was not valid in this particular case. 

“The people that own that van live in Westbury in a house that Meander Valley Council collect rates on,” she said.

“They also have a licence to operate and also have a business registration. Both of those are required as part of council requirements and fees are collected on them by council.”

Cr King said introducing the policy wouldn’t encourage community activity.

“If you’re going to go and quash all these ideas to these activities it’s not going to encourage people to get out there and have a go and look after themselves and do something good in the community,” she said. 

Meander Valley Council’s general manager Martin Gill said the council would look at whether they would support the policy development. 

“The key thing for the officers is to get the sense of whether council wants to support it and then if we do, we look at how we manage that,” he said.

Cr Richardson requested the outcome by the council’s August meeting.