McKenzie Denies Allegation of Ignoring Councillors in Beryl Recovery Effort

The minister of local government and community development, Desmond McKenzie, has hit back at comments that councillors in municipal corporations across the island have been ignored, even as the government proceeds with providing support to people affected by Hurricane Beryl in a misguided manner.

The mayor of Spanish Town, Norman Scott, has criticised the local government ministry for concentrating the distribution of aid supplies in the hands of members of parliament, when councillors should be the ones at the forefront of the relief effort.

We have more in this report from Daina Davy.

Mayor Scott says the lack of coordination at the local government ministry has created confusion in the disaster response at the community level in the worst affected parts of the island.

He says there can be no justification for aid and relief supplies to be channeled through MPs, when councillors are often the first point of contact for residents in constituencies.

But Desmond McKenzie has hit back.

He says Mayor Scott could not claim to be speaking on behalf of councillors across the country, as the progress of the relief effort was communicated at a recent meeting with all mayors.

Minister McKenzie says the government is undertaking a national relief effort in a strategic way in order to minimise the duplication of functions.

He says he’s disappointed but not surprised that Mayor Scott would look to criticise the government’s response to the disaster caused by Beryl.