May 06 - Government Hits Back at GSD Over Housing Repairs Spat
In response to the GSD’s recent claim that the former administration also spent significant public funds on repairing GSLP built housing estates, the Government ha said that this claim is ‘totally incorrect’. Instead they note that ‘The repairs to Harbour Views did not cost the Government millions and millions of pounds. In this case, the contractor was taken to court, lost the case and it was the contractor, not the government, who had to pay for the repairs.’
The GSD also claimed in their statement that the Government was not entirely honest in matters of public finances. The Government hit back, insisting that the party ‘allowed tens of millions of pounds of losses to accumulate in Government companies and failed to show this in the public accounts of Gibraltar. When the GSLP/Liberals took office we were faced with a £ 100 million black hole which we started to close immediately.’
No.6 further notes the former administration’s intention to increase the cost of electricity by over 100% over 20 years. The statement continues ‘It is clear that Mr. Feetham and the GSD are not in a position to preach about honesty in public finances to anyone given their poor track record in Government. They left Gibraltar with a legacy of problems in private housing estates not to mention the severe lack of maintenance in Government-owned estates as well. This Government is now setting about to correct the mess that the GSD left behind by refurbishing estates and carrying out repairs.
‘The Opposition are also in no position to criticise what they call “vanity projects”. The best examples of “vanity projects” in the history of Gibraltar are the new air terminal which cost over £ 80 million (from an initial costing of £24 million) and the Theatre Royal project which was described by the then Chief Minister as “a vision thing”. The vision turned into a nightmare costing the taxpayer millions and millions of pounds.’
