THE Linden Utility Company Services Limited (LUCSL) has cut electricity from the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LMTC) Wismar Day Care, saying that it is owed millions of dollars in payments.
While Linden Mayor Carwyn Holland bemoaned the move, saying it is inconsiderate; Chairman of the LUCSL, Charles Sampson said the Council owes the company money but did say how much.
Mayor Holland said the LUCSL has claimed that it owed millions of dollars by the Council.
Sampson said an agreement was made for the Council to pay the current bills and to negotiate how to pay the debt incurred from street lights but the Council has fallen short.
“We don’t want to cut off any street lights, we don’t want to cut off any day care light, but that decision was made to pressure the Council because they have not been honouring certain agreements,” Sampson said. He added that a lot of leniency has been given to the Council in times past.
Mayor Holland was taken aback by the decision to inconvenience little children to teach the Council a lesson.
“How could you cut the lights of the day care to say you want to force the Linden Mayor and Town Council because you hear the Linden Mayor and Town Council managing to pay some of its bills…that’s not the way to negotiate,” he said, adding, “no warning nothing and we are a senior partner.”
Holland revealed on several occasions that the Council is in millions of dollars of debts, the largest being to the National Insurance Scheme in which it was able to pay $200, 000 monthly on back debts, as well as $1.2 M monthly for workers’ social security.
Holland called on Central Government to bail out the Council since it still has in indebtedness of over $200M, one inherited from the previous Council.
The heavy indebtedness is affecting the Council from effectively carrying out critical works such as construction of roads and garbage collection.
“We are still in over $200M in the ‘red’ and are calling on government to intervene and bail us out. Government did bailout for many other entities, including City Hall and GuySuCo and I see no reason why Linden can’t get $250M to put us in the right footing,” Holland said.
The Council is also calling on National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to settle its debt, pointing out that it will significantly enable the Council to comfortably meet its expenses, repay what it owned and effectively serve the residents of Linden.
“NICIL owes the town quite a hugh sum which adds up to more than we are asking for if we look at the numbers,” Holland added.
