Tinkering with $8B CH&PA budget leads to delays in approval

Feb 10, 2017 News

The ambitious $8B Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) budget which entails several new initiatives to make available housing solutions to the populace, is yet to be approved.
Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, reported yesterday that there were many delays in securing the approval of the Board of Directors for the agency’s 2017 expenditure.
The Minister related that the board had requested additional information.
Based on the Minister’s comments as reported by the Government Information Agency (GINA), it appears as if the board had requested “reliable data to confidently support the expenditure” as it relates to the agency’s policy shift from providing house lots to constructing housing units for eligible applicants.
“I didn’t criticize the board when they announced that they wanted to have reliable data to confidently support the expenditure…We will now move in a different direction. We have different priorities, a different emphasis and a different focus,” Minister Bulkan emphasized.
Meanwhile, a CH&PA official said, yesterday, that the budget was presented to the board for approval and discussions were held.
However, management, upon moving to the finance committee for approval by means of stamping the document, it was discovered that there were changes to the discussed and agreed upon proposals. These changes, the official said, were done ‘internally’ by management.
The finance committee, the source revealed, is yet to give the green light.
Recommendations have since been made to have the board re-examine the agency’s 2017 expenditure.
Readers would recall the Minister of State, Joseph Harmon’s comments last week Wednesday, in which he divulged that the life of the board had been brought to an end and affirmed that a new board will be appointed shortly.
The CH&PA official is positing that with the absence of a functioning board, initiatives aimed at improving the housing sector and the lives of the populace, are now in limbo.
Contained in the agency’s 2017 programme, is the proposed expenditure of $2.3B on last year’s roll-over projects (ongoing infrastructure works) in Regions four coastal regions.
Meanwhile, Minister Bulkan also expressed hope that the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CH&PA will be appointed soon.
He reported that after the resignation of former Chief Executive Officer, Myrna Pitt, a name was submitted as her replacement but the suggested replacement is yet to reach Cabinet for approval since the matter has been engaging the attention of the executives.
However, the minister pointed out that the position requires an individual with strong, managerial capacity in order to effectively execute the 2017 work programme.
“Hopefully, we should see the post being filled before the start of the project,” he said.

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