ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica – Councillor for the Siloah Division in St Elizabeth North Eastern, the People’s National Party’s Audie Myers is calling on Prime Minister Andrew Holness to give special consideration to Local Government divisions in the annual year-end work programme.

His call came against the backdrop of Holness’s recent announcement of $21 million grants to each constituency to be managed by Members of Parliament for the annual work programme.

“I heard nothing in the prime minister’s presentation regarding councillors who are always the first ones to be called on by the people… if its water is the councillor, road is the councillor, drain is the councillor, street light is the councillor and right now we are having a hard time because of the pile up of garbage,” Myers told the Observer by telephone.

Myers suggested that the government could consider allocating $6 million to each parish council division across the country, to be managed by municipal corporation divisional representatives (parish councillors) for basic rehabilitation work and clean-up operations.

“We are coming from two and a half years of COVID and it’s been very hard. Right now the stench from garbage is extreme, and the rats are playing dandy shandy. Clean up needs to take place but we need help,” he said. “If each councilor could get $6million it wouldn’t resolve the problem but it would help … we got a mandate from the people just like MPs,” he said.

Announcing the $21-million allocation to each constituency in Parliament recently, Holness noted that this represented an increase from $16 million last year.

Holness told MPs that the money should be used for road rehabilitation, drain cleaning, de-bushing and garbage collection.

“I know everyone would like to see a bigger spend, but we are still under serious fiscal pressure,” said Holness.