Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Honourable Priya Manickchand, joined regional and local officials today for a community engagement with residents from across the Better Hope/La Bonne Intention (LBI) Neighbourhood Democratic Council catchment area.
The engagement, held at the Better Hope/LBI NDC compound, attracted a large and spirited turnout, with residents speaking openly about several longstanding concerns affecting their communities.
Minister Manickchand was joined by Minister within the Ministry of Housing, Honourable Vanessa Benn; the Regional Chairman Clemsford Belgrave, Regional Executive Officer Juan Edghill Jr; Better Hope/LBI NDC Chairman Zaman Shaw; Vice Chairman Haroon Khan; and councillors of the NDC.
Among the primary issues raised were residents’ encumbering or drainage and roadways causing drainage consequences, inconsistent garbage collection, unkept community grounds, poor communication between the NDC and residents, and concerns surrounding the use and availability of NDC resources. Residents also expressed dissatisfaction with the level of engagement from some councillors within the constituencies they were elected to represent.
Minister Manickchand reminded the Council of its responsibility to remain accessible and responsive to the communities it serves, encouraging councillors and NDC staff to become more active within their respective areas and to improve communication with residents.
She also pointed to the investments already made to strengthen the NDC’s capacity, including financial support in the form of a hefty subvention of thirty millions dollars, the provision of equipment such as tractors and garbage trucks, stressing that these resources must translate into visible and reliable services for residents.
Following the concerns raised, Minister Manickchand committed to working with the relevant officials to have the issues addressed as quickly as possible and urged the NDC to begin acting on matters that can be resolved immediately, with work expected to commence as early as tomorrow. She expressed a vested interest in following up on the NDC’s responses to the concerns raised, and how they choose to address them.
The engagement provided residents with an opportunity to speak directly with central, regional and local government officials, while allowing the NDC to identify areas requiring immediate attention and stronger service delivery.