Norton says he greenlit State House works in absence of National Trust board

The repainted State House last November

Social Cohesion Minister Dr. George Norton says he authorised the rehabilitation of State House in the absence of a constituted board of the National Trust and that despite the public outcry, he sees no problem with the green colour it was repainted in.

“…He hadn’t to tell them [the National Trust] …His minister [Norton] should have been the person to tell him what to do because his minister at that point in time was the person with authority because the board was not constituted,” Norton told Sunday Stabroek in an interview, where he insisted that permission was given following discussions with President David Granger, although he did not say when those talks took place.

State House is a national monument and falls under the care and control of the Trust. Last November, it became noticeable that the building was being repainted. Although the president subsequently brushed aside concerns, the Trust had said that it was never notified about the repairs or the repainting, although the National Trust Act states that failure to get written consent from the body for interfering with a monument is unlawful.

Sunday Stabroek has learned