Opposition leader slams govt ‘neglect’ in tackling housing overcrowding

Leader of the Opposition Ralph Thorne on Tuesday accused the government of failing to confront chronic overcrowding in Barbados’ housing estates, charging that official efforts remain “insufficient and mismanaged” despite longstanding promises of reform.

As the House of Assembly moved a resolution to rescind the vesting of two parcels of land at Sergeant’s Village in Christ Church, originally earmarked for low-income housing, Thorne questioned the government’s broader commitment to addressing the island’s housing crisis.

He said: “Many of the housing estates are now inadequate for present occupation. In other words, there simply is not enough space. There are too many people living in the housing estates.”

The opposition leader was responding to Minister of Housing, Lands and Maintenance Christopher Gibbs, who highlighted plans to repair roofs on row houses to improve safety and resilience during disasters. 

Gibbs told Parliament: “The Ministry of Housing, Lands and Maintenance will undertake a tremendous strategy to repair roofs… this will be undertaken in this financial year and the next.”

Thorne argued that while roof repairs are necessary, they do not address the fundamental problem of overcrowding. He pointed to vacant or abandoned lots across the country that could be used to house more residents, citing events such as the death of homeowners or the emigration of their offspring as reasons for underused property.

He said: “We have recommended that the government needs a programme of rehabilitation within existing communities. That is not to reinvent the wheel. It was a programme that was done by urban development and rural development for many years. Has the government abandoned that programme?” 

Highlighting what he described as a lack of serious commitment to low-income housing, Thorne criticised the government for failing to deliver on promised projects, including the controversial Vesperra Hope Project and the broader pledge to build 10 000 homes by 2022.

He noted that more than three years later, there is no sign of the 10 000 houses, leaving thousands of Barbadians still in overcrowded estates.

Thorne pointed to housing estates in Silver Hill, Gall Hill, Deacons, Pinelands, Grazettes and Eden Lodge, where residents continue to live in overcrowded conditions. He said current government initiatives, such as a few duplex units at Sergeant’s Village, represent only “a drop in the ocean” compared with the scale of need.