BELLEFIELD, Manchester — General secretary of the Opposition People’s National Party Dr Dayton Campbell says while he remains open to being convinced about container housing solutions, the Andrew Holness Administration needs an acceptable housing policy.

Arguing that poor people must be able to live in dignity, Campbell said he doesn’t support the idea container housing, pointing out that the National Housing Trust (NHT) takes money from people’s salary.

Addressing a PNP divisional conference on Sunday night at Bellefield High School in Manchester, Campbell said that after making mandatory NHT contributions for many years, people should not be introduced to container houses.

“Me want brick and mortar house fi live inna. Me wah walk inna decent house,” Campbell said as he criticised the Government for welcoming the introduction of container models to the local housing market.

In endorsing the private sector-led introduction of container houses, Holness noted that they can be built quickly time and at affordable rates, relative to traditional houses.

“The size of the container home market in 2021 was estimated at $56.85 billion worldwide and it is expected to grow to $87.1 billion by 2029. We see how this is possible because companies that are involved in shipping, architecture, furniture, design and development, are merging the technology to provide solutions to meet housing demand,” Holness said.

But this was little comfort to Campbell who also chastised the Government for its management of the NHT.

“You can imagine in one container house in the summer weh hot so and light all gone? Everybody woulda haffi come out a door,” he said.

“This Government took the previous Government to court when we were taking money out of NHT when they left the IMF [International Monetary Fund] programme and make the country nearly crash; this current Government — when they were in Opposition — took the PNP to court. They have been taking $11 billion out of NHT every year and now turn round a look on the contributors ’bout container house,” said Campbell.

“I am not down this road with them yet. I remain open to be convinced but I am not down that road yet because the NHT money is supposed to be used to provide housing for people. The next PNP Government is going to ensure that we put a policy in place so that the people of this country who contribute can get a benefit,” added Campbell.