MANDEVILLE, Manchester — A Manchester councillor is defending the recent naming of a community road in north-west Manchester Desmond McKenzie Close, in honour of the country’s local government minister.

Councillor Faith Sampson (Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), Johns Hall Division), in addressing Thursday’s monthly meeting of the local municipality, claimed that the road was not “renamed”.

“I just want it to be recorded that this road was not renamed, it was a bridle track that has been developed and so it was not named before,” she said.

On February 10 a sign was unveiled on the road, which was previously referred to as Guava Walk Road in the farming community of Somerset.

The sign has created widespread debate on social media with many users questioning the naming of the road in north-west Manchester in honour of McKenzie.

Sampson, who organised the naming of the street, defended the decision. She crossed the floor in the Manchester Municipal Corporation in mid-2020 from the People National Party to the JLP.

“Mr chairman, if something is wrong, the sequence in which it is called doesn’t matter. But I have seen where two of my colleagues in recent times have named about four roads and this road that was named — all hell was let loose. I just wonder why?” she asked.

She claimed that a community consultation was done.”The road was not renamed, it was named after consultation with the residents of the area,” she said.

Less than a week after the sign was unveiled, it had to be removed for repair after being vandalised. The road was rehabilitated almost two years ago at a cost of $5 million.