St Joseph MP calls for Scotland District Authority

St Joseph MP Ryan Brathwaite has renewed his call for the establishment of a Scotland District Authority, arguing that the region’s distinctive challenges require a coordinated response and urgent attention.

He told a Barbados Labour Party constituency branch meeting on Sunday at the Grantley Adams Memorial School that many areas within the Scotland District faced challenges that could not be resolved overnight, but stressed the need for action.

Member of Parliament for St Joseph Ryan Brathwaite (JB)

“We know that the Scotland District is a unique area within our landscape that has its own unique challenges and I will not rest my voice until we see the realisation of the Scotland District Authority.”

Brathwaite said the authority should address issues across the Scotland District, including areas outside St Joseph, rather than having them dealt with separately by various ministries.

“I believe that with one umbrella body, we should be able to see these issues being addressed swifter and with the type of alacrity and attention that is required within this area of Barbados, which represents one-fifth of the island’s land mass.”

He identified Spa Hill, Fruitful Hill and Parks Road among the areas facing challenges highlighted during a recent tour of the parish with Minister of Transport and Works Kirk Humphrey. He said other problem areas would soon be visited.

Senior Minister and Minister of Transport and Works Kirk Humphrey (JB)

Brathwaite also said St Joseph was experiencing the effects of climate change more acutely and expressed concern that challenges with the road network, transport and other services were contributing to a decline in the parish’s population.

Pointing to dwindling school populations, he said: “Persons are just moving out of St Joseph because we are not bringing these services to them.”

“We have to make sure that we improve our road network, improve the access to services so that people want to stay in St Joseph. And as your MP, it is my responsibility to ensure that I hold my government to the task to ensure that we continue on the promise so our people don’t feel forgotten,” he said.

Brathwaite then raised a call for more residential development in St Joseph, particularly for young professionals.

Speaking about the long-awaited Ginger Works public housing project, he said other areas in the parish could also be developed for residential purposes.

“It is time now that young professionals in our constituency have the opportunity to go and get a mortgage so they can stay within St Joseph.”

Brathwaite said he had received correspondence from the housing minister about rent-to-own schemes elsewhere but stressed that residents wanted opportunities within their own community.

“Our people don’t want to move. We want to be able to keep our families intact within familiar spaces that we are accustomed to.”

Acknowledging that while some roadworks had been completed, there was still much more to be done in the parish, Humphrey said designs for Spa Hill had been completed and that the project, along with Braggs Hill, was scheduled to begin in mid-October.

He also addressed the possibility of the Ministry of Transport and Works carrying out more road repairs in-house, rather than relying solely on contractors.

While pointing to the various contractors currently engaged in road projects, he said the government might soon seek to undertake some of the work itself, although this would require additional resources, including younger workers.

Humphrey defended the competence of ministry employees, saying they were “a lot more diligent and competent than people give them credit for”.

Workers had expressed a desire to demonstrate what they could do if provided with the necessary resources, particularly at ministry depots, he said. 

But the transport minister acknowledged the need to recruit younger staff, noting that many existing workers were in their late 50s and early 60s.

“The other thing is, if I’m being honest about the MTW staff, we also need now to start bringing on younger people because a lot of the workers have been with MTW for a long time,” he said. “But this work is physical and hard, and the sun is hot.”

Touching on pothole repairs being carried out across the island, Humphrey said motorists whose vehicles suffered flat tyres or damaged rims because of potholes should be reimbursed promptly and urged affected drivers to submit their claim forms. (JB)