Purkiss criticises hotel transport companies as Kingston moves on illegal signage

Purkiss criticised the Government over major hotel properties being allowed to operate their own transport companies, saying the arrangement sidelines JUTA and JCAL operators. The bulletin reported that some all-inclusive properties, including foreign-owned companies, control guest transportation while local drivers continue to pay parking fees to enter hotel compounds.

In Kingston, Mayor Andrew Swaby said the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation will increase action against unauthorised signs and billboards in plazas and commercial districts. Speaking at Tuesday’s monthly council meeting, he said mobile outreach stations will be placed in plazas and business centres to help operators understand permit and approval rules, receive applications, answer questions and carry out preliminary inspections where needed. Businesses will also be able to address unpaid signage fees during the engagements before tougher enforcement is taken.

Finance Minister Fayval Williams defended the Government’s decision to withdraw $500 million from the Financial Services Commission. At Wednesday’s post-Cabinet briefing, she said the payment would not threaten the FSC’s stability, noting that surplus distributions from self-financing agencies are considered after reviewing whether the entity can remain viable. Williams said the ministry and the FSC agreed the distribution could be made and that the ministry had committed, in writing, to assist if the FSC later required financing.

Labour and Social Security Minister Pearnel Charles Jr. said the Jamaica Productivity Centre will lead national efforts to improve output compared with input. He said work is under way on a national productivity index, supported by education and training so productivity is treated as a practical economic tool rather than a slogan.

The bulletin also reported that US inflation was expected to exceed 4 per cent for the first time in three years, with analysts projecting a 0.5 per cent May increase and a 4.2 per cent annual rate. In health, viewers were urged to seek emergency care for sudden testicular pain because early treatment for suspected testicular torsion can save the testicle.

Regionally, Barbados is moving to create dedicated gun courts to speed up firearm cases and reduce a backlog amid rising gun violence. Internationally, protests spread in parts of the United Kingdom after a 30-year-old Sudanese man was charged with attempted murder following a knife attack in Northern Ireland.