BUILDING RESPONSIVENESS IN LOCAL AUTHORITIES

By: BALFORD HENRY

Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, with responsibility for Local Government, Hon. Robert Montague (left), in discussion with Geographic Information Systems Analyst at the Planning Institute of Jamaica, Mrs. Nadine Brown (centre), and Executive Director of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, Ronald Jackson, at the Land Information Council of Jamaica’s Biennial Award Ceremony, held at the Office of the Prime Minister in November.

Since 2007, the Local Government portfolio has been changed from a full-fledged Ministry to a department of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) with Minister of State, Hon. Robert Montague, at the helm.

The submerging of Local Government under the OPM, however, was not meant to either reduce the influence of the portfolio or its capacity to meet the demands of the local authorities, but a pragmatic move in light of the process of Local Government Reform currently taking place.

Local Govt Reform

Within weeks of his appointment in 2007, Mr.Montague declared that over the next 24 months, focus would be placed on implementing the Local Government Reform Programme, to provide more autonomy, resources, and greater responsibility to local authorities, islandwide.

"People would like to know that their streetlights work, know that the drains are clean, know that roads are repaired; know that, in the case of an emergency, they can depend on their local authorities. We want to put that power into the hands of the local authorities and the local councils, so that the citizens can get the sort of service that they pay for," Mr. Montague told JIS News then.

He noted that the restructuring had been on the agenda for the past 30 years, and there is agreement by all stakeholders on 95 per cent of the recommendations. But that, ultimately, the reform will outline the roles and responsibilities of local authorities and clearly define the boundaries between local and central government, to ensure that there is no overlap and that local government is entrenched in the Constitution.

That 24-month timeframe ended last October without the Minister actually achieving all his targets. However, stakeholders and the general public seemed convinced that the Minister has shown the necessary commitment and attitude for the job and could not be blamed for a delay into 2010.

Minister of State with Responsibility for Local Government, the Hon Robert Montague (left) whispers a point to Morant Bay’s Mayor, Councillor Hanif Brown, during a visit to the Council in July to discuss Local Government Reform.

In mid-October, 2010, Mr. Montague announced that the completion of the reform process has been extended to June, 2010. He attributed the delay to “unforeseen circumstances.”

"One of the major reasons, we were to do an organisational review and we ran into some procurement problems in getting a consultant on board," the Minister explained. Additionally, he said that consultations with the Ministry of Justice on establishing a Municipal Court had taken longer than anticipated.

Achievements

Highlighting some of his achievements since assuming responsibility, Mr. Montague listed the establishment of parish public accounts committees to review expenditure within the Parish Councils, and the revenue workshops which have been held, as the Councils prepare to contribute 30 per cent of their budget from their own resources.

"We have moved to expedite the treatment of the whole building permit systems. We are now operating at a 97 per cent success turnaround rate within 90 days of application, in getting your building permit back from the Council," he pointed out.

"We have moved to begin the process of writing 20-year developmental plans, and we have moved to have a number of consultations with the communities, (through) town hall meetings, etcetera," he noted.

He also stated that all Parish Development Committees (PDCs) have been re-established, and a national PDC is being established.

The Terms of Reference for the “Review of the Portmore Municipality” were completed, and development of a “Performance Management and Reporting System, including administrative framework for implementation, identification of specific service and the development of performance measures for the authorities is also well under way.

Minister of State with Responsibility for Local Government, the Hon Robert Montague (left) sits with Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Desmond McKenzie, on a visit to the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) Council during Local Government Month (November).

Thirteen Councils cleared arrears in their financial statements; for the first time, the Councils had Public Accounts and Audit Committees operating; and record collections of Property Tax in 2008/09 of $2.3 billion influenced a target of $3 billion for 2009/10.

Approximately 20 parochial roads across parishes were rehabilitated; works were done on critical drains and retaining walls; The CHASE Fund approved $40 million for new wards at the St. Thomas and Hanover infirmaries; the first “state-of-the-art” care facility for the elderly, the $40 million “Icy Allen Care Centre,” named after the veteran nurse and Matron of the Trelawny Infirmary, was opened in February; and with the aid of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), poultry projects were started at infirmaries, under the Initiatives for Rising Food Prices Project, producing eggs and broilers for inmates, while the surplus is sold.

On completion of the reform process, Mr. Montague expects the Councils to be more responsive, with the capacity to undertake jobs and meet the expectation of the citizens in the various parishes.

According to former Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Patricia Sinclair McCalla, “a significant amount of work was completed to advance the process.”

She said that two key deliverables were: the finalisation and submission to the Ministry of Justice of a proposal on the entrenchment of Local Government in the Jamaican Constitution; and, the development of a Concept Paper for the Strategic Laws to clearly define the scope and role of the Local Authorities.

She added, however, that much more needs to be done to “truly empower” the people’s local representatives to direct their own local affairs and, effectively, meet the needs of their communities.