DEPUTY mayor of Lucea councillor Lloyd Hill has chided the National Works Agency (NWA) for not addressing the poor road conditions in sections of Hanover which lead to Blenheim, the birthplace of National Hero Sir Alexander Bustamante.

Hill, who is also the People’s National Party (PNP) councillor for the Sandy Bay Division, expressed surprise and disgust that no provisions have been made by the NWA to repair the roadway in time for next Monday’s civic ceremony to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the birth of Bustamante.

The deputy mayor, who was speaking at the recent regular monthly meeting of the Hanover Parish Council, was joined by councillor for the Cauldwell Division Anthony Walker (PNP) in his call for the Cove to Blenheim and Cocoon to Blenheim roads to be repaired before the civic ceremony.

They were responding to the disclosure of NWA’s parish manager for Hanover, Wayne Cover, who said that, like last year, there are neither plans nor funding to undertake repairs to those roadways.

“We work on projects when projects are given to us… this thing (preparation for civic ceremony) only comes about January, everybody forgets about it after February,” Cover argued.

But Hill, a former chairman of the Hanover Parish Council stressed that the ceremony is an annual event and representation should have been made to have the roads repaired.

“It is an annual event and I am sure that when there are emergencies, even if you don’t have it (funds) in your budget, you make representation or request for funding. So, that should be a part of your funding also, because it is an annual event, irrespective of where you are going to make the request, whether it is through the MP (member of Parliament) or through your Ministry (transport and works). It is all about planning,” Hill stressed.

Bustamante, who was born in the small community of Blenheim on February 24, 1884, founded the Jamaica Labour Party in July 1943 and the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union in May 1938. He became Jamaica’s first prime minister in 1962 and officially retired from active politics in 1967. He died at age 93 on August 6, 1977.