Local Government Minister rejects claims municipal corporations underfunded

By Kimone Witter    

 

Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie says claims by councillors that the government has not provided adequate funding to municipal corporations are unfounded.

 

Mr. McKenzie reiterated that municipal corporations have received more funding under the Andrew Holness administration.

 

Recently, Councillor for the Waterford Division in Portmore Fenley Douglas criticised the government for the lack of funding for parish council representatives and reiterated that allocations are often either late or promised but never materialised.

 

But speaking Friday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106, Minister McKenzie said municipal corporations have seen improvements in their ability to respond to the needs of citizens and generate revenue. 

 

"I challenge any councillor in this country to come out publicly and say that this administration has not responded to the needs of councillors. Never in the history of local government has councillors received a million dollars towards Christmas work programme. It happened under the Andrew Holness led government. 

 

"When we inherited office in 2016, the then administration only provided a meagre $10 million to the Ministry of Local Government for roads. Since then we have increased that to over $150 million. Last year we pumped $300-and-odd million. The councillor in Portmore tell you who provided the funds to build the building that they now occupy?" Minister McKenzie asserted. 

 

The island's two main political parties are in full election mode following Thursday's announcement of the February 26 date for the long awaited local government election. 

 

Speaking at a People's National Party meeting in St. Mary on Thursday, Senator Floyd Morris blasted the Andrew Holness led administration for what he says is the poor management of local government.

 

Mr. Morris challenged comments by Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie that the Jamaica Labour Party places emphasis on local government. 

 

"It seems as if 'chi chi' eat out some of dem brains because they forget that in the 1980s what they did was to take away all the services from the parish council and all they had to do the with the councillors is to fix and clean the cemetery," he recalled.  

 

Mr. Morris further accused the government of spending more than $1 billion of taxpayers' funds "fixing a small section of the Junction Road when that money could have fixed the entire Junction". 

 

"Weh di money deh?" he demanded.