The Government is placing greater emphasis on rural communities to ensure that residents have access to basic amenities to improve their lives and economic well-being, says Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie. It is for this reason, he said, that significant resources are being pumped into upgrading community infrastructure under the Rural Development Programme (RDP). He was...

Local government elections have been postponed for a further 12 months, and are to be held no later than February 28, 2024. This follows approval of the Representation of the People (Postponement of Elections to Municipal Corporations and City Municipalities) Act, 2023 in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (February 21). The Bill was passed without amendment. Twenty-nine Members of...

Citizens in communities where water shops have been established are being reminded that the facilities are to be utilised for domestic purposes only. The water shop concept is intended to provide potable water for residents in regions across the island that are usually affected by drought. Speaking at the recent opening of a facility in Mile Gully in Manchester, Local...

MPM Waste Management Limited is moving to clear all illegal dumps in St. Catherine and will undertake an intensive enforcement drive against littering across the parish. Public Cleansing Manager with the agency, Samuel Mullings, said that while the backlog of waste in the parish has been cleared, illegal dumping sites remain a problem. Mr. Mullings, who was addressing the monthly...

The Government has provided $868.4 million towards the Jamaica Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project, to enhance the country’s resilience to disasters and climate risk. The money has been provided in the 2023/24 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. For the upcoming fiscal year, the project seeks to commence coastal protection works in Annotto Bay, St. Mary; continue works...

Approximately 40 residents of the St. James Infirmary are now able to occupy the new $45-million male ward that was built at the facility in Albion, Montego Bay. The ward was a joint initiative between the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and the St. James Municipal Corporation. It was officially opened by Portfolio Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, on...

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie (right), on a tour of the Charles Gordon Market in Montego Bay, St. James, on Wednesday, February 15, where a $100-million multiphase renovation project is under way.