The FNM’s Poor Housing Programme

From Picewell Forbes Shadow Housing Minister

On FNM Housing Programme

For Immediate Release

29 August 2018

The picture of a Prime Minister and his Minister of Housing laying a plaque to promote the sale of a mere ten lots shows how desperate this government is for good news.  Unfortunately there is no good news there either.

First their housing programme is woefully inadequate, under resourced, if not non- existent. It is shameful that all the Housing Minister can tell us is how the majority of people who applied for their service lot programme could not qualify.

The FNM has this unfortunate way of glorying in the misfortunes of its citizens. The Minister should have instead been boasting about how they are working with each applicant to ensure that they do qualify.

Next we find it amusing what the FNM is promoting. Their announcement is in fact that of a PLP project designed and approved before the 2017 General Election.

We can’t believe the Minister and the Prime Minister  put down a plaque to promote the sale of the 10 Lots  created in the Sunset Close extension by the PLP and he has not sold them. I am advised that all these lots  were all assigned prior to the election and because of their size, specially designed houses were to be constructed there to complement the existing subdivision. The persons who got the assignments were pre-approved so why are the applicants now failing to qualify?

In my budget statement, I warned the Government that their programme was flawed. I did not believe that applicants who needed affordable housing would have the resources to take advantage of service lots. What I predicted has come true. The programme has fallen woefully short of the mark.

The FNM must go back to the drawing board. They can simply go to the files and follow the blueprints left by the PLP.