Government house-building schedules were delayed for years due to the National Housing Development Trust’s failure to file annual reports, the housing minister told Parliament last week.
Minister for Housing Jay Ebanks presented six NHDT annual reports at the same time to Parliament on Wednesday, with the oldest annual report covering 2015-2016. Together, the reports spanned from 2015 to 2021.
“I recognise that there has been a significant delay in tabling these reports,” he told the House. “I have made much progress in fixing [the matter] upon taking my office and learning that these reports were outstanding.”
He added, “The NHDT was instructed to take the necessary steps to become compliant and I am pleased to report that by tabling these reports the trust is on its way towards full compliance.”
Ebanks admitted, however, that house-building suffered during the years when the reports were outstanding. “I know there was a time in National Housing where…we slowed down on building the homes, but this is the reason why, because we had to go back and clean up all of these reports that were left behind that was not done over the previous years.”
The most recent report, for the year ending 31 Dec. 2021, shows the trust made a loss of $799,000 on revenues of $921,000.
It has been a turbulent year for the government-owned entity, which was set up to provide affordable homes and mortgage financing with a focus on low- and middle-income earners.
NHD general manager Julio Ramos resigned at the end of January this year after 14 years at the helm. No reason was given for Ramos’ resignation which was announced by Andrew McBean, chairman of the trust’s board of directors.
In a statement, Ramos said that after “careful thought and consideration and providing approximately 14 years to the National Housing Development Trust” he decided to move on to pursue “other personal aspirations”.
The announcement of Ramos’ departure was coupled with news that consultancy firm Deloitte had been contracted “to modernise operational frameworks and put in place new procedures that will allow the organisation to scale up operations while the Board recruits for a new general manager”.
Deloitte was also asked to look at various operations within the Ministry of Planning, Agriculture, Housing and Infrastructure.
In April this year, NHDT former chairman Geoffry Ebanks was acquitted in the Grand Court on charges of breach of trust and conflict of interest in relation to the removal of fill from a government housing site.
Related Videos
We need accountability for these serious delays in reporting. What is the status of the NHDT’s 2022/2023 reports they have had 9 months to produce them?. Given the history, these statements should be audited by an external accounting firm.