Minister with responsibility for Urban and Rural Development, Christopher Sinckler (FP)
There is a possibility that the Rural Development Commission (RDC) and the Urban Development Commission (UDC) may merge.
Word of this came from Minister with responsibility for Urban and Rural Development, Christopher Sinckler, before a tour of the RDC today.
“There is a fair expectation that some serious consideration will be given towards possibly the merger, or certainly some type of protocol through which these two commissions can, in fact, cover the entire Barbadian landscape in terms of providing the services which are critical to bringing people out of poverty, to empowering people through creating business and self-employment opportunities but also assisting in improving the physical environment,” he said.
Stating that as Chairman of the Cabinet Sub-committee on Social Policy it was something he intended to place on its agenda, Minister Sinckler continued: “But also eventually to bring it to Cabinet, if necessary, a fulsome discussion and possibly a decision, inviting Cabinet to look seriously at how we can create a symbiotic relationship between the two. This is not only for efficiency purposes, but also to ensure that we have a system in which people have the utmost confidence in, in terms of delivery of social goods and services to the public.”
He added: “It is no mystery that people have questioned, and rightfully so, what has happened in these Commissions – issues of staffing, issues of work performance, and so on. While we know that we have dedicated people, we have to ensure that we get the right staff in place, with the right qualifications in the right places.”