Luganville Municipal Council has confirmed that local ice cream sellers are allowed to continue their businesses after concerns emerged that a recent council resolution could affect their sales activities outside shops.

The clarification was made by Luganville Municipal Council Mayor Honourable John Boe Mavutu, who said the resolution was focused on shops extending their selling spaces onto public areas, including footpaths and roads, rather than targeting small ice cream sellers.

“The council agreed on stopping shops that extend their sales areas outside by putting up tents and displaying more goods outside their stores. This blocks footpaths and roads where people move, especially in a busy traffic area like town, and disturbs the space for pedestrians,” Mayor Mavutu said.

He explained that the resolution was not introduced to stop Chinese-owned shops or other businesses from selling goods, but was aimed at managing public spaces and ensuring safe movement for pedestrians and vehicles.

“Regarding our mothers who sell ice cream, there was some misunderstanding. The resolution does not target them because ice cream sales only use a small space. The small ice boxes placed in corners of shops are where they sell their products,” he said.

The mayor acknowledged the importance of the ice cream businesses for local mothers, saying the activity helps support their livelihoods and families.

One ice cream seller, Marineth Mataru, confirmed that after discussions with the municipal council and councillors, they were allowed to return and continue selling.

“We went back to the Municipal Council and talked with the councillors. They met together again and agreed that we could come back and continue selling ice cream in the places where we were operating before,” Mataru said.

The council has advised other food sellers that they will need to identify suitable green spaces where they can set up tents and sell their products without blocking public walkways or roads.

The ice cream sellers, like other vendors, continue to contribute through payment of permits and compliance with food safety requirements