PAC calls for upward review of rents

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has called for an upward review of the rents charged on government bungalows.

At a PAC sitting in Ho recently, the Chairman of the PAC, Mr James Avedzi, said the current rents on government bungalows at the districts were not economical.

He said the review of the rents should reflect the realities on the ground.

Mr Avedzi made the call following responses by district chiefs executives and financial directors in the Volta Region at the PAC sitting in Ho about the low rents charged on government bungalows.

For instance, the Financial Director of the Kadjebi Municipal Assembly, Mr MacGeorge Apetorgbor, told the committee that the rent on a two-bedroom apartment at Kadjebi was GH¢14 a month.

Mr Avedzi urged auditors to monitor the renovation that occupants of government bungalows made.

That, he said, was to ensure that the cost of the renovation was not inflated.

Rent arrears

The report also cited 10 districts of not ensuring payment of rent by staff occupying assembly bungalows and retirement of imprests, leading to the officials owing the assemblies a total of GH¢115,237.

The report recommended that the amount should be treated as personal advances in the name of the imprests holders and recovered at source from the salaries of the defaulters.

Mr Avedzi urged the assemblies to take steps to retrieve all the outstanding rent arrears and report same to auditors for verification.

Unaccounted payments

The report said per the financial memoranda for district assemblies, finance officers were required to support their payments with invoices or other vouchers.

However, it said management at eight assemblies failed to provide evidence of services and goods supplied for which a total of GH¢180,861 was paid.

The affected districts are Agotime-Ziope, Biakoye, Central Tongu, Hohoe, Keta, Krachi East, North Tongu and South Tongu.

Some of the district and municipal chief executives and financial directors told the committee that they had recovered some vouchers and corrected the anomalies.