Government???s Constituency Councils are here to stay!
This assurance came over the weekend from Prime Minister Freundel Stuart as he addressed the St. Michael South Constituency Council???s Biannual Town Hall Meeting at the Graydon Sealy Secondary School.
Acknowledging that some persons were not in favour of the Constituency Councils, Mr. Stuart told his audience: ???Those who want to continue to abuse them are free to do so, but the abuse is not going to weaken the Government???s resolve in relation to ??? constituency empowerment across Barbados???I have no regrets at all about the creation of these Constituency Councils and??? the impact which their existence has been making.???
Stating that the Councils engaged in very important work which greatly assisted in the building of community spirit, he outlined some of the activities as cleaning up the environment, house repairs and improving drainage issues.
The Prime Minister noted that as a result of the global economic downturn, Government had not been able to invest large sums of money into the Councils. ???So, all of our Councils have had to function on the basis of very limited budgets. But, even though the budgets were limited, the needs of the constituents in all 30 constituencies have been ever expanded,??? he surmised.
He pointed out that the David Thompson Memorial Constituency Council Football Classic has utilised a major portion of their resources. Describing the football tournament as highly popular, he said it generates economic activity across communities and builds community spirit, while giving young men an opportunity to put their skills on display.
Mr. Stuart praised the members of the St. Michael South Constituency Council for the outstanding work being done and thanked them for expending their time and energy to the benefit of the community. ???What I heard here???really impresses me, it tells me the Council has not been asleep,??? the resources are not being squandered, but are being used very prudently and very responsibly to promote the deepening of the community spirit here???and meet the needs of the people of this constituency,??? he contended.
He pointed out that he had again heard complaints about a weakening community spirit in Barbados and noted that Cabinet had spent some time last Thursday discussing that issue. He continued: ???We have come to certain conclusions but these conclusions cannot result in just one or two discussions. We have to do some analysis, but the determination is to make sure that our communities are strengthened,??? he said.
The next town hall meeting in the series will be held on Wednesday, March 26, for the St. Thomas Constituency Council at the Lester Vaughan School, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
sharon.austingill-moore@barbados.gov.bb