Stories by
JENSEN LA VENDE
Senior Reporter
One year after the Government declared both Whitehall and the Prime Minister’s official residence in St Ann’s to be in poor condition to accommodate Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in the conduct of her national duties, plans are now advancing to relocate key functions of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) from Whitehall.
The OPM’s allocation in the 2026/2027 Budget includes $500,000 for a new project titled the Whitehall Companion Building.
Speaking on the allocation yesterday, Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath said Whitehall remains ill-suited to the needs of a modern government and that officials are exploring alternative accommodation for several OPM departments.
Padarath said the Cabinet Secretariat, which he described as the “engine room” of Government, is no longer housed at Whitehall because of longstanding infrastructural and operational challenges.
“Whitehall is an old colonial home and therefore it is not really conducive for office space and office environment. And therefore, there are a number of units in the Office of the Prime Minister that we would have been looking for space for. And the permanent secretary has recommended that since the Ministry of Education has moved from where they were on Alexandra Street, then we can refurbish one of those buildings as a companion building to Whitehall,” Padarath told Guardian Media.
His comments revive concerns first raised by the Government in May 2025, when Whitehall was declared “unfit for use” because of flooding, mould and its unsuitability for modern administrative functions.
On her first full working day after being sworn in, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar operated from her private residence in San Fernando, after being advised against using Whitehall because of the building’s condition.
At the time, Padarath said sections of Whitehall had been affected by flooding and mould and revealed that the Cabinet Secretariat had already been relocated from the ground floor. He described the facility as “not functional” and questioned how effective government operations could be when the unit responsible for coordinating Cabinet business had been forced out.
The claims sparked a public disagreement with former public administration minister Allyson West, who rejected assertions that Whitehall was unusable. West maintained that while parts of the basement had experienced drainage and water infiltration problems requiring repairs, the building remained structurally sound and operational. She also noted that Whitehall underwent a major restoration programme between 2016 and 2019 and served as the Office of the Prime Minister under both Dr Keith Rowley and Stuart Young.
The Government subsequently commissioned refurbishment works at the facility through UDeCOTT.
Yesterday, Padarath said work at Whitehall is ongoing but further assessments have identified the need for additional upgrades.
“I did share with the national community at the last occasion of Budget 2025/2026 that the Cabinet Secretariat, which is the engine room, the heart and soul of Government operations, is no longer housed at Whitehall because of the circumstances of mould and unsuitable accommodations. Some work has started there, and the work is ongoing there, I am advised,” he said.
He said a recent site visit by the Ministry of Planning found additional remedial work was required before the Cabinet Secretariat could return to Whitehall.
Both the prime minister’s official residence and the Diplomatic Centre are housed in St Ann’s.
On the work to be done at that compound, Padarath said Cabinet business is now being conducted at the Diplomatic Centre after some work on structural issues he raised on entry to office last year.
Padarath had complained about operational deficiencies at the facility, including non-functioning security scanners. This had resulted in the Government initially holding Cabinet meetings and post-Cabinet briefings at the Red House before they could return to the Diplomatic Centre.
Yesterday, he said, “We have done some work at the Diplomatic Centre to make it a bit more functional and therefore while there is a need to ensure that there is proper management in terms of how we spend limited resources that we have at this time, a small amount of work has happened at the Diplomatic Centre to ensure that it is more suitable for its operational use. And therefore, Cabinet meetings have been taking place at the Diplomatic Centre.”
However, Padarath said work at the PM’s official residence would be too expensive.
“No work has been done to the residence part; that would require a lot of money that the country does not have at this time.”
During a site visit shortly after the change of government, Padarath described the residence as being in an even worse condition than Whitehall, resulting in Persad-Bissessar remaining at her private residence in Palmiste.
“In my respectful view, they left it like a dump. The residence, to me, is in a far worse condition than Whitehall,” he said then.
Padarath criticised the condition of the premises, saying it was “disheveled” and claimed there were maintenance issues throughout the property, including large holes on portions of the compound; problems with the moat surrounding the residence, sewer-related issues, condensation problems, rotting and swelling woodwork.
In response, former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley posted a video on social media highlighting the condition he left the premises in.
