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Senior Investigative Reporter
The Government’s move to streamline expenses has led to several chairmen and mayors of United National Congress (UNC) and People’s National Movement (PNM)-controlled regional corporations dipping into their pockets to provide Christmas meals and gifts for council members and administrative staff.
Siparia Regional Corporation (SRC) chairman, Mayor Doodnath Mayrhoo, was the first to admit in a telephone interview last Tuesday that his corporation did not host any end-of-year party or celebration for council members and administrative staff due to financial constraints.
“We don’t have the money to spend on any party. We got instructions that we do not use public funds to host any party. We never really do parties before.”
However, he said a Christmas luncheon for 12 council members and 35 administrative officers was recently held.
“Last week, I provided lunch for council members, which I paid for from my pocket. $5,000. It was no party, no dancing and no alcohol.”
In 2024, Mayrhoo also covered the bill for their Christmas meals.
Mayrhoo said he did not approach businesses in the borough for a contribution to the luncheon, stating that when they give you $10, they expect $20 in return.
“They wouldn’t just give you and not want something. I don’t want to go down that road and you have to be obligated to anybody.”
The 2026 draft estimates of recurrent expenditure document showed the SRC was allocated $83.1 million in 2025, compared to $90 million in 2026, an increase of $6.8 million.
San Juan Laventille Regional Corporation (SLRC) chairman Richard Walcott, meanwhile, said he has never used the corporation’s funds to host Christmas events for staff.
Walcott said they utilise money from the chairman’s fund to distribute hampers for Christmas to burgesses who are in need.
Last Thursday, Walcott said a meal was provided to the 14 councillors and administrative staff, costing $6,000, which he contributed to.
“As chairman of the corporation, I did contribute to the purchasing of the lunches. Also, all the councillors would have put up,” said Walcott, who manages the PNM-led corporation.
Walcott said this was the first time councillors had to dip into their pockets to purchase the meals.
“A councillor’s stipend is small.”
Councillors earn a basic monthly salary of $4,000. With perks, they collect $7,000 monthly.
Walcott also purchased gifts for certain staff members as a token of appreciation for their service in 2025.
The SLRC received $166 million in 2025, compared to the $160 million in $2026—a decrease of $6 million.
Up to Wednesday, Walcott said SLRC councillors were still awaiting their backpay.
For six years, Princes Town Regional Corporation (PTRC) chairman Gowrie Roopnarine said staff have not been treated to any Christmas parties, lunches, hampers, ham, turkey or vouchers using taxpayers’ dollars.
He said councillors would have their little celebrations with their activists, which comes from their own pockets.
Roopnarine said he has a staff of 160 and cannot provide a luncheon for all of them.
“There’s no way I could fund that unless I give them a doubles,” he said.
However, Roopnarine recently distributed gift bags containing bottles of wine, biscuits and other items that he had purchased, to councillors and senior municipal police officers.
The UNC-controlled corporation has also distributed 500 hampers to the needy, utilising money from corporate T&T and the chairman’s fund.
Arima Mayor Balliram Maharaj said he believed a party was held for staff and council members two Saturdays ago, but was unable to say if the corporation funded the party or staff footed the bill.
“I don’t know. I didn’t go,” said Maharaj, who runs the PNM-controlled corporation.
In 2025, the Arima Borough Corporation received $89.9 million. For this fiscal year, it was allocated $80 million.
Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation (CTTRC) chairman Ryan Rampersad said funding across the country was limited.
“That is public knowledge. So, we don’t have money to go full-fledged and hold big fetes and so on,” he said.
Rampersad said a small luncheon was hosted for council members and department heads last Monday to close off the year, but said no alcohol was involved.
A vote was taken utilising money from the chairman’s fund for the meals. He said this is done every year.
“It was a small vote that we utilised from. As you would appreciate, our corporation is huge. We have a thousand workers.”
Rampersad said the corporation could not buy lunch for all the workers.
Last year, the UNC-led CTTRC received $102.8 million. This fiscal package, they got $115 million.
Point Fortin Borough Corporation (PFBC) Mayor Clyde James admitted that councillors have been raising money to have a Christmas party for children in their electoral districts.
“This year, finances were tight. This year was not one of the better years, trust me.”
The PFBC is under the control of the PNM.
James explained that they could have used a vote in their statutory meeting to buy lunch for councillors and hampers to give to burgesses facing hardships.
“But this year we got no money in that vote, so everything we had to do, we had to beg and raise the money on the outside. On a personal note, you can’t go and beg people now. Things are so bad. The businesspeople in Point Fortin are complaining. Business is slow. They are not contributing to anything.”
James said councillors opted not to have any private celebration this year.
“We would normally have it in a restaurant. Last year, they did something on their own. To say that it’s going to happen this year is a no.”
Up to Wednesday, James said they were still awaiting 400 hampers from Heritage Petroleum for Christmas, which they receive every year.
“It’s a customary practice. But this year we have not received any hampers. We have not heard a word up to this day.”
Last year, they were the recipients of 400 hampers.
In 2023, the corporation received 460 hampers.
The PFBC was allocated $69 million in 2026, which is $3.4 million less than the $72.4 million they received in 2025.
Josiah Austin, chairman of the Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation (TPRC), said they are still awaiting approval to use the Chairman’s Fund to assist 16 councillors with underprivileged and vulnerable cases in their electoral districts for Christmas.
As such, councillors have been seeking sponsorship from the business community to have this done and to give some staff members tokens of appreciation for the season.
Of the 14 corporations, the TPRC, which falls under PNM control, has the largest population.
Austin said he and council members donated money to host their own Christmas lime.
“I have documentation to show where I’ve been paying and transferring monies and assisting members of council. I have to literally dip from my pocket to assist. That is what I am doing. We are finding ways of raising money.”
Asked if this was the first time he had donated cash as chairman, Austin replied, “I will say yes.”
Last year, this PNM-managed corporation was allocated $160.7 million
In the 2026 fiscal package, the TPRC was allocated $160 million- a difference of $756,000.
Repeated calls to the other seven chairmen and mayors went unanswered.
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