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Member of Parliament for South East St. Catherine, Colin Fagan, said that the Social Development Commission (SDC) must increase its visibility and assist in boosting the number of community groups and organisations. "There needs to be an increase in the number of community organisations that have the necessary skills and knowledge to actively participate in local deliberations. The SDC should...

As the Government seeks to accelerate the Local Government Reform process, a number of responsibilities are to be returned to the Parish Councils as of August 1. Among these is the calculation of pension benefits for Parish Council officers. State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Local Government Reform, Hon. Robert Montague, speaking at a...

Councillors are being urged to address the problems of their divisions as a unified body, and to approach local and international funding agencies in seeking to assist these communities. The call came from State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Local Government Reform, Hon. Robert Montague, at a special meeting of the St. Thomas Parish...

Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Local Government, Hon. Robert Montague, has urged Councillors to identify ways in which the Parish Councils could earn additional revenue. "Councillors are making representations for more money to spend and very few are making suggestions as to how we could increase the revenue," he lamented, as he...

Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) with responsibility for Local Government, Hon. Robert Montague, has said that implementation of the recommendations for Local Government Reform has been extended from September to June next year. Addressing members of the St. Catherine Parish Council at a special meeting on June 29 at the Council's office, Spanish Town,...

State Minister with responsibility for Local Government Reform in the Office of the Prime Minister, Hon. Robert Montague, has called on Parish Councils to be more assertive in executing their duties and responsibilities. Mr. Montague, who was addressing a meeting at the Manchester Parish Council in Mandeville, recently, said that Councils must take a more critical role in disaster preparedness...

State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Hon. Robert Montague, has said that entrenchment of Local Government in the Constitution would provide a more transparent system, which would favour the average citizen. He also noted that entrenchment would allow citizens to have greater input in the system of governance, rather than having critical issues dealt with at the...

Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, Hon. Robert Montague, has emphasised that senior level representatives from agencies and departments must attend Parish Council meetings, whenever they are required to do so. Mr. Montague, who has responsibility for Local Government Reform, said this directive has been issued by Prime Minister the Hon. Bruce Golding. He was addressing...

Minister of State in the office of the Prime Minister, with responsibility for Local Government Reform, Hon. Robert Montague, has called on citizens to get involved in the Local Government reform process and to ensure that it works in their interest. The State Minister made the call at a Town Hall meeting, held at the St. Matthews Anglican Church, in...

Mayor of Kingston, Senator Desmond McKenzie, has added to the call for compulsory national youth service for out-of-school young people. Speaking at the closing ceremony for the Emergency Response Training programme on June 17 at the National Youth Service (NYS) training site in Chestervale, St. Andrew, Mayor McKenzie said the high unemployment rate among young people, underachievement at school, and...

The St. Elizabeth Parish Council is moving to protect the historic Holland Bamboo grove from denudation and illegal vending activities. In announcing the move at the monthly meeting of the Parish Council on June 11, His Worship the Mayor of Black River, Councillor Jeremy Palmer, said it is imperative that the local authority, which is the custodian of heritage sites...

The Government has extended by 12 months, the time frame for the full implementation of the recommendations for Local Government Reform. Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Local Government, Robert Montague, speaking at the second in a series of island wide Town Hall meetings on May 26 at the Portmore HEART Academy in...