Six months in, Linden MTC yet to receive 2021 subvention

Jun 11, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – With almost half of 2021 being completed, the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LMTC), is yet to receive the subvention budgeted for since December 2020, for the completion of capital projects within the township during the 2021 budgetary year.

Linden Mayor, Waneka Arrindell.

Linden Mayor, Waneka Arrindell, bemoans the holding back of funds at a time that is very critical to the council. The sum of $18M was allocated to the council by central government, but that money has not been released. “We have not received any subvention, six months into the year and this is putting a strain on us, especially now we would like to give support, especially with the flood,” Arrindell said
The Mayor claims that the decision to hold back the funds is because the council refused to be bullied into what to spend it on. Decisions on capital projects are done following consultations with the various constituencies, and the residents decide what is deemed a priority. These consultations informed the council that the residents believe that more should be done by the LMTC Constabulary Unit to police the township and to maintain law and order. As such, the purchasing of a vehicle for the security department was included, but the submission of the work plan, which included that purchase and all other capital projects, was not approved by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.
Arrindell said that the ministry wrote back to the council, requesting that the purchase of the security vehicle be substituted with the rehabilitation of three roads; in Speightland, in Nottinghamshire and the access road to the regional PPP party office.
“The purchasing of the vehicle is for our security to do rounds, for better maintenance of the town, we need to police it and so we asked to retain that vehicle for that purpose,” Arrindell explained. The Mayor told Kaieteur News that correspondences were sent to Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, but no response has been given on the subject.
She said that the council explained that it does not construct or do major rehabilitation of roads, but only minor repairs. Since then, the subvention has not been released. The Mayor explained that the situation has put dire strain on the already cash-strapped council and is calling on the Ministry to release the funds. She said monies garnered which should specifically to be used to pay staff and meet other monthly expenses, are being used for other purposes, thus putting the council further in debt.