Councillor questions TEF spending disparity between Negril and St James
Published:Friday | February 13, 2026 | 12:08 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer
Negril Councillor Arthel Colley is calling for greater investment in the resort town, arguing that insufficient spending by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has left critical infrastructure issues unresolved and is negatively affecting both residents and visitors.
Speaking at this month’s Westmoreland Municpal Corporation general meeting yesterday, Colley said repeated attempts to get answers from the relevant agencies have yielded no response.
“Through this council, I wrote to the CEO with a request for the TEF to spend some money in the division of Negril,” Colley said. “The letter was sent to TEF, and up until now, we have not received any answer from them.”
Colley questioned what he sees as a stark imbalance in the TEF’s allocation of funds, contrasting Negril’s experience with that of neighbouring St James.
“TEF spent billions of dollars in St James over the past few years. In Negril, they barely spent $100 hundred million per year,” he said. “I am wondering why and what is happening.”
Among the pressing issues he highlighted was inadequate lighting along key roadways, particularly the Norman Manley Boulevard and the West End thoroughfare. Colley said requests for solar lights along major stretches of road have gone unanswered.
“The lighting on the boulevard, … we have been asking for some solar lights from where the … $17-million sign is at Long Bay ... to the Negril roundabout, on to Nonpariel Road and the West End of Negril. The West End of Negril is dark,” Colley said.
He warned that poor lighting is contributing to safety concerns and creating anxiety among visitors, especially during peak evening hours.
“Things are happening there, and I speak to criminality,” he said. “The tourists go for dinner between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. That is the time they are walking on the road, but because of the darkness, ... they are fearful.”
Colley also raised concerns about the absence of sidewalks along the West End roadway, arguing that the lack of pedestrian infrastructure further compromised safety.
“The West End [has] no sidewalks. So when guests come walking along the West End road, they have to be easing along in the ‘banking’ in order not to be mowed down by motor vehicles,” Colley said. “TEF spent millions fixing roads in St James. Last year, they spent $50 million in Negril on a road that is hardly being used by the citizens of Negril. I am wondering why that piece of roadway was done.”
In addition, he pointed to the deteriorating condition of roads leading to popular attractions, including in the Red Ground community, which he said remains a preferred area for some European visitors.
“The European guests like to stay in the [Red Ground] community. They don’t like to go to the hotels,” he said. “The roadway is in a terrible condition. There is an entity down there that a lot of tourists – Jamaicans and foreigners – go to.”
Colley said he plans to escalate the matter, revealing that he has prepared another letter to be sent to the mayor and the CEO, with copies to the Chamber of Commerce, urging greater support for the town.