Municipal corporation unable to account for funding from international agency

Minister of Local Government Desmond McKenzie has said that he will be withdrawing funds for Christmas programmes from a municipal corporation that has been unable to account for funds provided by an international agency for a special project.

The minister was cautious not to name the council, the international agency that provided the funds, or the purpose of the funds.

Speaking last Wednesday during the relaunch of the St James Municipal Corporation's Parish Development Committee at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre, McKenzie said, "Right now, I have a MC (municipal corporation) that is in trouble with me, and that MC won't get any Christmas money. We might have to use that Christmas money to repay the funding from an international agency that gave funding to a community-based organisation using the same PDC (parish development committee) as a part of its vehicle.

"There are situations involving community-based organisations that have gone out using their association with the local authorities (municipal corporations) that engaged in funding programmes and some of it don't end well," McKenzie said.

"There are serious discrepancies that can embarrass the country."

McKenzie said the Government is not prepared to face any embarrassment over the situation and, therefore, the corporation in question must resolve the situation.

"I am not prepared to allow any form of embarrassment, and I told the mayor that is involved what needs to be done," said McKenzie. "Nobody can just get up and engage international agencies for funding without it is done in the right and proper way because this administration is not going to take any embarrassment."