Chipata Municipal Council sets a 42 million Kwacha budget for 2015.

Chipata Municipal Council has set a target of 42 million Kwacha under its 2015 budget.
Town Clerk, Davies Musenge says that the local authority has already collected about 5 million Kwacha from its 6 million Kwacha first quarter budget target.
Speaking during Budget Tracking Programme on Breeze FM this morning, Mr. Musenge says that the money is going towards salaries, service delivery and extension of Kapata Bus Station.
And Mr. Musenge admitted that the council needs to do more to ensure that it improves on its service delivery and removing illegal street vendors along Umodzi Highway.
And speaking during the same programme, Director of Planning, Namenda Kaonga says the council is facing challenges in monitoring projects under CDF, Constituency Development Fund in the district.
Mr. Kaonga says the council has a record of 200 projects running in a year against limited staff and insufficient monitoring funds.
And Mr. Kaonga says that the council will not provide services to residents, who have built structures on hill tops because the plots are illegal.
Meanwhile, Director of Finance, Kingsley Siasinyanga says that the council last year only collected half of the targeted 20 million Kwacha revenue.
Mr. Siasinyanga says that the local authority was unable to collect the whole amount due to what he described as internal challenges in terms of mobility.
He also stated that Chipata Municipal Council receives a grant of 693,000 Kwacha under the equalisation fund every month.