Trinidad and Tobago passes Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill

The Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was passed in the Lower House on Wednesday night with 27 votes in favor and 11 against. The legislation aims to address long-standing inequalities regarding resource distribution and representation across various municipal corporations.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar defended the bill, citing data from the 2025 Development Estimates to highlight funding disparities. She noted that certain smaller, PNM-controlled corporations received higher per-elector funding compared to larger, UNC-controlled corporations. For example, she stated that Point Fortin received TT$17.65 million for approximately 20,000 people, while the Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo Regional Corporation received TT$78.15 million for 178,410 people.

The legislative session was marked by tension between the Speaker and Opposition MPs. Speaker Jagdeo Singh instructed the clerk to repeat voting processes for several Opposition members and advised that votes should be limited to “yes or no” answers after members attempted to editorialise their responses. The House adjourned until October 12, 2026.