MP Brown Burke joins call for more CDF money

MEMBER of Parliament (MP) for St Andrew South Western Dr Angela Brown Burke has added her voice to those calling for an increase in the annual allocation under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

Under the CDF all 63 MPs are allocated $20 million annually to promote human and infrastructure development in their constituencies.

But in recent months MPs — on the Government and Opposition benches — have argued that this is not enough to meet the demands they face.

On Thursday Brown Burke joined the chorus as she argued that the current allocation is inadequate to meet the growing needs of her constituents.

Speaking during a CDF consultation meeting in her constituency Brown Burke described the allocation as a “drop in the bucket” and said the amount has become increasingly insufficient amid rising costs and expanding demands across constituencies.

“I believe it’s time for the allocation to the CDF to be increased… because I cannot think of anything, any bill you have where you’re paying the same amount since 2012. Talk [the] truth…it sounds like an impossibility, and therefore $20 million dollars in 2026 is really making the job of representation harder than it needs to be,” said Brown Burke.

She pointed to the many responsibilities attached to the CDF and argued that expecting MPs to manage such a wide range of demands with that level of financing is “a set-up” as the system places them in an unfair position.

Brown Burke, who sits on the Opposition benches in Parliament, said that while representatives are often encouraged to seek support from other government agencies, accessing such resources is not always an easy pursuit.

“That is a theoretical proposition,” said Brown Burke.

“What do I mean by that? If you ask my councillors who have tried to access [the] Chase [Fund] they will tell you what the challenges are. I must admit I have not been to [the] SDF [Social Development Fund] for a while since Councillor [Eugene] Kelly and I went and they had the audacity to say that [former Prime Minister] Portia Simpson Miller had gotten enough… So, to be honest, I haven’t been back since we got that message,” said Brown Burke.

She acknowledged the support she has received from corporate partners and government ministries over the past year, particularly to assist families affected by fires in the Majesty Gardens area of her constituency.

According to Brown Burke, she has appealed to several Government ministers, including Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, for additional support to address housing needs in her constituency and has received some positive responses.

But Brown Burke said, despite that additional support, the the CDF allocation remains inadequate to address pressing concerns such as social housing, welfare assistance, skills training, and economic empowerment initiatives.

Using social housing as an example, Brown Burke pointed out that only $1 million has been allocated across the constituency’s three municipal divisions.

“My easy maths says that’s $300,000 per division for the year… What can that do?” questioned Brown Burke.

While expressing appreciation for the support received through the CDF, she urged the Holness Administration to revisit the funding formula to ensure constituency representatives are better equipped to respond to the needs of constituents.

“I’d love to be able to do more for economic support. I look at support for small business, for training, and for skills development, [and] I would love to do a little bit more for welfare and emergency,” said Brown Burke, who added that she would also want to see an increase in the amount paid to the CDF officers in the constituencies.

Brown Burke’s call for an increase in the CDF allocation came just over a month after her colleague of the Opposition benches, MP for St Catherine North Central Natalie Neita Garvey became the latest parliamentarian to bemoan the inadequacy of the amount allocated.