Linden Town Council facing financial crisis following removal of Bridge toll

The Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), wants an immediate meeting with the Government to avert a looming crisis in the town of Linden, caused by the removal of the Wismar Bridge toll, which provided revenue for the Linden Town Council.

The Council is unable to reach its salary and other obligations, as the expenses continue to rise.

At a press conference on Friday, APNU Member of Parliament, and former Linden Mayor, Sharma Solomon, said the Government took away the revenue generating base from Linden for over a year and is still to dedicate a subvention for the Town Council to fill the void.

He said the removal of the toll without an alternative arrangement amounts to punishing the people Linden and Region 10, weaken the elected local authority and force greater dependence on discretionary Central Government spending.

“How is it feasible, responsible or sustainable to remove more than G$70 million annually from a municipality’s recurrent income – now estimated at G$90 million to G$100 million in current operating terms – without a dedicated subvention or appropriate empowerment to realise adequate revenue that restores its financial capacity and protects essential services,” Solomon stated.

The Opposition MP also questioned the reason behind abolishing the toll before a financial agreement with Central government was concluded. He said the municipality was never consulted on the issue.

“APNU calls for an urgent meeting between central government and the Linden Mayor and Town Council, with a settlement timetable made public; An immediate emergency transfer, calculated from 1 August 2025, to cover the verified revenue lost since abolition; A dedicated annual replacement subvention no lower than independently verified pre-abolition revenue and adjusted for rising service costs, until a sustainable municipal-financing arrangement is agreed,” Solomon stated.

Mayor of Linden Dominique Blair said the situation with the Council’s finances is becoming untenable.

“The report that I receive today from the administration shows that we are in a deficit of $38 Million, and this includes salaries and our current expenditure. We also want to put on record that NICIL which is owned by the Government, we are still awaiting rates and taxes for the year 2026,” Blair said.

Blair said the Council is also indebted to creditors and is struggling to meet other obligations.

PNC Reform and APNU Leader Aubrey Norton said the Government continues to erode the authority of local government organs to make them dependable on Central Government. He said the APNU, which has a majority on the Linden Town Council, might be forced to seek the Court’s intervention.