Mayor Says $0 Goods and Services Funding Leaves San Fernando Unable to Patch Roads

Mayor Says $0 Goods and Services Funding Leaves San Fernando Unable to Patch Roads

San Fernando Mayor Robert Parris has painted a troubling picture of the city’s financial situation, saying the corporation received $0.00 under its Goods and Services financial vote for the current financial year, leaving it unable to purchase basic supplies — including material needed to patch roads.

Parris made the disclosure while responding publicly to complaints over the deteriorating condition of the Princes Town Taxi Stand on Bobby Mohammed Street at Library Corner, San Fernando.

Video circulating on social media shows sections of the taxi stand and surrounding surface badly deteriorated, with potholes, loose material and water collecting in damaged areas.

As members of the public questioned why repairs had not been carried out, Parris said the problem was not simply being ignored.

“We don’t have any material to fix this. I’ve said it before so let me say it again,” the mayor wrote.

According to Parris, the corporation received no allocation under its Goods and Services vote for the financial year.

“The goods and services financial vote, this financial year we got $0.00,” he said.

Parris claimed the situation has affected far more than road maintenance. He said the corporation has been unable to afford basic goods ranging from road-patching material to toilet paper, printer ink and paper, as well as oil and line for equipment used by workers.

The mayor further said the corporation owes suppliers who previously provided goods on credit and claimed financial releases from the Ministry have been slow in arriving.

Parris had also explained that several infrastructure projects are competing for limited resources.

He identified a collapsed underground box culvert near Penitence Street and High Street as another major project requiring attention, while saying tenders for drainage, road and bridge works were expected to be awarded.

Regarding the Princes Town Taxi Stand specifically, Parris said repairs remain a priority once the necessary material can be obtained. He also indicated that the Water and Sewerage Authority had been approached about possible assistance with material.

The mayor’s explanation, however, has not ended criticism online.

Some commenters questioned how long the taxi stand had been allowed to remain in its present condition. One person claimed problems in the area dated as far back as 2018, while another urged taxi drivers to take action because of the potential damage to their vehicles.

Others responded sarcastically to images of the deteriorated surface, with one commenter describing it as a “beautiful pothole.”

The controversy now raises a wider issue beyond the condition of a single taxi stand: how effectively can a city corporation maintain roads, facilities and basic operations if, as its mayor claims, its Goods and Services allocation for the financial year stands at zero?

For taxi drivers and commuters using Library Corner, however, the immediate concern remains much simpler — when will the badly damaged stand finally be repaired?