MICHAEL LASHLEY is confident he can manage the National Housing Corporation, the Urban Development Commission (UDC) and the Rural Development Commission (RDC) effectively.
The goal, he said, would be to provide more and better housing for Barbadians.
Lashley, the Minister of Housing and Lands, seems to have hit the ground running, and on Tuesday met with officials at both the RDC and UDC, the two Government agencies added to his portfolio in last week’s Cabinet reshuffle.
“I want to create a relationship between the three agencies with the goal of fulfilling Government’s overall housing mandate,” Lashley told the DAILY NATION shortly after meeting with officials at the UDC.
He also reassured small and medium-sized contractors that they could expect Government-contracted work from all three agencies.
“A main challenge we face in the RDC and UDC is that while we want to upgrade the living conditions of residents, the properties they live in are not their own and sometimes the owners oppose any work to be done to the houses.”
In such cases, he said, Government would seek to relocate those residents.
“I will also be seeking to meet with all Members of Parliament, that is the Dems and the Bees representing urban areas, to inform them of the plans we have,” he said.
For his part, Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Care Patrick Todd expressed his concern about the number of “pit toilets” still being used in some communities.
The City MP, who accompanied Lashley on his trip to the UDC in Roebuck Street, said his goal was to “eradicate” outdoor toilets, and he invited the business community and service associations to join in this effort.
After they were briefed at the UDC, both Lashley and Todd sought to find out first-hand what work was required on some houses in The City and its environs. (CG)
