MARIGOT--Frustrated District Six representative Georges Richardson said over the weekend that as far as he is concerned the Christmas Fête in Sandy Ground is cancelled, as the funding for it has not been received. He accused the Collectivité of dragging its feet instead of acting in a timely manner.
The Fête is supposed to be held on December 23. He said artistes had been left hanging, not knowing whether they would be performing or not, and it was now too late to organise it.
Aside from the Fête, he is particularly annoyed that he cannot to date obtain 500-euros-worth of Christmas lighting cable to light up the perimeter fence that encloses the Sandy Ground Cultural Centre and car park, despite providing the pro-forma invoice to the Collectivité.
“If Sandy Ground is the sensitive area that they say it is, then more reason for it to be given extra attention, to uplift the area and give the people equal opportunities,” said Richardson. “But that is not happening. When the people see that District Five is having their Fête and we are not, what are they going to think?
“We cannot have one part of the Collectivité promoting delinquency prevention and another part working against it. What is the sense of signing the Contrat de Ville specifically to help Sandy Ground? If nothing is happening in Sandy Ground, how can we put the mindset of the young people in order?
“I called Vice-President Rosette Gumbs-Lake, who is in charge of the districts, and she told me that she had signed and authorised the purchase for the lighting and it had been passed on to Director of General Services (DGS) Philippe Millon, but up to now I still can’t get this lighting wire.
“The people are telling me if they cannot have a Fête then they will not allow any politicians in Sandy Ground. They feel they are being marginalised. Christmas is supposed to be about peace, love, sharing and happiness. We do not have to prove ourselves; other people have to pull their weight.”
Each district receives an equal amount of subventions from the Collectivité. DGS Millon could not be reached over the weekend to ascertain what the problem is with the Sandy Ground funding and the Fête.
