DLP: Government’s record on affordable housing ‘horrible’

Dwight Sutherland’s efforts to provide affordable homes have been branded “a horrible record” by the opposition Democratic Labour Party (DLP) in a scathing critique of the housing minister and the government’s performance since it took office in 2018.

Senator Ryan Walters, the DLP’s shadow housing minister, outlined a series of alleged failures plaguing the Ministry of Housing in a statement released on Wednesday. He accused the government of mishandling squatter relocation from Christ Church to St Philip, which he described as “just the tip of the iceberg”.

“The Minister of Housing has presided over mess-ups with the relocation of squatters from Christ Church to St Philip,” he said. Walters went on to criticise the rebuilding of houses destroyed by Hurricane Elsa, claiming it has “cost taxpayers over $53 million, with cost overruns of $24 million so far, and after three years, less than half of the 150 promised houses have been fully constructed”.

The opposition senator also highlighted internal issues within HOPE Inc., the government’s flagship affordable housing project, now the subject of two separate government probes. He pointed to mass resignations of directors and senior management, which he claimed have “almost brought the operations of that entity to a halt”.

“This is after utilising $60 million from the Housing Credit Fund in HOPE Inc. What do they have to show for it? Ongoing challenges with houses at Lancaster in St James, unfinished structures at Pool in St John now overgrown with bush, and poorly constructed houses in Chancery Lane, Christ Church that have residents turning to legal recourse,” Senator Walters declared.

The DLP spokesman also called attention to unfulfilled promises, including housing developments at Colleton in St John and Colleton in St Lucy, which he claims have yet to materialise.

He questioned the progress of a 2022 agreement with the government of Guyana to buy 1 000 prefabricated wooden houses, asking: “Where are Sutherland’s updates on these projects? How much money has been spent thus far, and when can Bajans expect to start to move into these homes?”

Senator Walters also accused the government of misleading the public about its future housing plans: “The minister continues today to want to fool Bajans. Two thousand homes a year is what he continues to preach.”

He has challenged the Mottley administration to provide evidence of its housing achievements.

“The Democratic Labour Party is asking this government to come clean and admit that it has failed to provide new affordable housing stock to Barbadians,” Walters said. “If it hasn’t, the minister can provide proof of its success over the last six years.” (RG)