Opposition Senator Ryan Walters says the Clifden Development, St Philip project is a blatant misuse of public funds, based on the cost overruns of $1.3 million.
While Minister of Housing and Lands Dwight Sutherland on Saturday hailed the project at the official opening ceremony, Walters pointed to the $1.3 million in cost overruns outlined in the Auditor General’s Report.
“While the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) is happy for the 11 families who officially received homes in Clifden Development, St Philip over the weekend, that project – like others done by this Government – lacks financial prudence and is blatant mismanagement of public funds,” Walters said in a statement.
He said it would only be a reckless and irresponsible government which would continue to commit taxpayers’ money to import prefabricated wooden houses to be assembled here.
Walters cited the report, which states that HOPE Inc had indicated it would incur substantial losses on the houses being constructed for the National Housing Corporation. Based on the information, each home at Clifden was completed at a cost of $269 763 (excluding land and infrastructural works).
“Therefore, incurring a loss of $124 763 for each given the original selling price of $145 000 per home – cost overruns that taxpayers will have to cover due to the incompetence of this Government in its execution of providing affordable housing solutions for Barbadians,” he said.
Full loss
Should the minister continue on “this trajectory, the full loss of the importation and assembly of the first commitment of 350 prefabricated homes from Guyana could ultimately cost taxpayers approximately $43 million in budget overruns”, the Democratic Labour Party Senator stated.
“Now, we are hearing that the original number of prefabricated homes being ordered will be increased by more than 150 houses. This is ludicrous! The record of this Government in providing affordable housing to Barbadians is disastrous.
“Not only has the Government reduced our small contractors to an assembly line by way of importing steel frame homes from China and now prefabricated hardwood homes from Guyana, but in the process is expected to waste more than $70 million based on the figures in the special audit,” the statement read.
The Government has “blatantly and bold-facedly disenfranchised small contractors and local labour while wasting taxpayers’ money at the same time”, Walters charged.
He added that what was worse was that the overruns have pushed the cost of homes out of the reach of low-income earners. (AC)
HOUSING & TRANSPORT got a Lot of Money in dey.
Every Party , everytime.