KSAMC must use increased allocations to fix parish council roads, says Morgan

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Works, Robert Morgan says the recent move by Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) Chairman Andrew Swaby to increase divisional allocation fund provisions confirms that the mayor can do more to address parish council roads.The KSAMC announced that allocations will move from 10 million to 13 million for urban divisions, and to 13.5 million for rural divisions.Minister Morgan in a statement said the development exposes the hypocrisy in the mayor’s repeated complaints about road funding while the corporation has had the authority to increase support to divisions.“The mayor cannot continue to lament the condition of roads while failing to fully use the resources and authority available to the KSAMC. This recent increase confirms that the corporation can do more for parish council roads, drains, mitigation works and emergency interventions. He has more money than his predecessor but has not fulfilled the commitment he made before becoming Mayor,” Minister Morgan said.He noted that the National Works Agency (NWA) continues to bear a significant burden in responding to and fixing roads that fall under municipal responsibility.Morgan said the Government remains willing to collaborate with the KSAMC in the interest of citizens, but the KSAMC must use its increased allocations to repair and maintain the roads under its control.“We are prepared to work with the KSAMC, but collaboration cannot mean the central Government carries the burden while municipal resources are not properly prioritised. The KSAMC must use its increased allocations to fix its roads,” he said.Morgan argued that in 2020, the mayor, then serving as a councillor, seconded a resolution calling for increased allocations to divisions from the Parochial Revenue Fund to address roads and drains.“He understood the importance of divisional allocations then. The question is why it has taken this long for the same urgency to be reflected in the Corporation’s own decisions,” Morgan added.Morgan said residents of Kingston and St Andrew deserve transparency on how municipal road funds are allocated, which roads are prioritised, and when works will be done.“No one knows how these funds are spent. Jamaicans deserve to know,” Morgan said.