A sharp political dispute over municipal budget allocations has erupted in Trinidad and Tobago, as Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has publicly refuted claims from People’s National Movement (PNM)-controlled local governments that their operating funding has been cut, releasing official 2027 draft budget data that shows the opposition party’s municipal corporations received hundreds of millions of dollars more in public funding than governing United National Congress (UNC)-led bodies.
Addressing the controversy on yesterday, Persad-Bissessar pushed back against weeks of complaints from PNM-led municipal corporations, who have argued that the national budget shortchanged their local governments ahead of the upcoming fiscal cycle. Citing official figures pulled from the Ministry of Finance’s 2027 Draft Estimates of Expenditure, the prime minister laid out a clear breakdown of total allocations that directly contradicts the PNM’s narrative. Across the seven PNM-controlled municipal corporations, total 2027 allocations reach approximately $1.29 billion, compared to just $799 million allocated to the seven UNC-led corporations. That marks a gap of $490 million more in public funding for PNM corporations, and both blocs saw allocation increases from 2026 revised estimates: PNM corporations received a collective $276 million raise, while UNC corporations got a $183 million increase.
Persad-Bissessar leveled harsh criticism at PNM leadership for their complaints, arguing the opposition’s local governing bodies have a long track record of mismanaging public funds for political gain. “They got almost half a billion dollars more than the UNC but still complain. It doesn’t matter if you give the PNM corporations every cent of the budget, they will find a way to either thief, waste or fete it out, with nothing to show,” she told local outlet the Express. The prime minister further alleged that PNM corporations have systematically diverted public funds for decades to engage in political patronage, claiming funding is funneled to unstaffed “ghost worker” positions and overinflated contracts awarded to PNM financial backers.
In a provocative closing remark, Persad-Bissessar also called out voters in PNM-controlled municipalities for tolerating the alleged mismanagement, saying “The constituents in those PNM corporations like it like that, so enjoy.”
Beyond the collective totals, the 2027 draft estimates, published on page 268 under Head 42 of the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government’s portfolio, show that every single municipal corporation in the country received a funding increase for the upcoming fiscal cycle. Overall national spending on local government bodies has jumped 27% from the 2026 revised total of $1.654 billion to $2.104 billion for 2027, a net increase of roughly $449.7 million.
Among PNM-run corporations, the Port of Spain City Corporation secured the largest single allocation of any local government in the country at $295.3 million, a $60.9 million increase from its 2026 revised allocation of $234.4 million. The PNM-controlled San Fernando City Corporation followed as the second-highest recipient with a $212.3 million allocation, up $55.2 million from 2026’s $157.2 million. Other PNM allocations include $222.4 million for the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation (a $47.4 million increase), $217.3 million for the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation (a $43.5 million increase), $123.4 million for the Diego Martin Borough Corporation (a $24.7 million increase), $114.3 million for the Arima Borough Corporation, and $104.8 million for the Point Fortin Borough Corporation.
For UNC-run corporations, the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation received one of the bloc’s largest allocations at $147.8 million, a $32.6 million increase from 2026. Other notable allocations include $122.7 million for the Siparia Borough Corporation (a $28.2 million increase), $111.2 million for the Princes Town Regional Corporation (a $29.3 million increase), $109.8 million for the Chaguanas Borough Corporation (a $27.5 million increase), $114.9 million for the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation (a $25.2 million increase), $100.4 million for the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation (an $18.1 million increase), and $93.3 million for the Mayaro/Rio Claro Regional Corporation (a $22.2 million increase).