Residents air grievances at council meeting

Residents in the City aired a number of concerns on Sunday night when the Constituency Council of Bridgetown held its first town hall meeting and launched the council.Tempers flared at Harrison College, as most said lots more needed to be done in The City and issues needed to be addressed “right now”. They claimed it had been neglected for too long, and said it was time for someone to pay attention.Well-known designer “Passion”, who did not mince words, suggested that the council served one year instead of two, to allow residents to determine whether or not it was functioning.Judging from the small turnout in the school hall, he said he felt most households did not come out to represent, because they were unhappy with what was taking place in The City. He also called for the council to have a proper base and numbers where it could be reached.Julian Tannis also said he was not impressed with the council, nor the MP for the area Patrick Todd. He gave Todd a serious tongue-lashing, stating that nothing was being done for The City, and urged him to get down to the task, else he would not be re-elected.Desmond Grant, from Church Village, raised the issue of rats, which still seemed to be a major problem in The City, judging from the back-up sentiments he received. He said Government needed to do something urgently with the area of Cats Castle, Greenfields and Church Village, which was being overrun by rats. He said he heard Todd addressed the matter in Parliament on more than one occasion, but was yet to see something being done.A single mother of three also made her plight known. Rasheall Lorde, from Murphy Pasture, made it known that there was still a lot of improvement needed for The City, including that of flooding problems. She spoke of her concern for day-care facilities in that area, the nearby canal which kept breeding mosquitoes, and recreational facilities for the children to keep them off the streets.Todd, who said he made copious notes and congratulated the residents for  speaking frankly, asked residents to be patient, since Government was now operating with reduced spending and was still in a financial crisis. He also pledged to get down to the task and get his hands dirtied working alongside the Constituency Councils. (CT)