KSAC to Stage Public Education Sessions about Local Governance Legislation

In a bid to encourage greater participation by the public in local governance, the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) will be staging a series of public education sessions in the Corporate Area, to sensitize persons about legislation which will entrench Local Government in the Constitution.

Mayor of Kingston, Senator Councillor, Dr. Angella Brown Burke, said  the campaign will serve to ensure that all citizens are fully informed about the laws and their implications.

“Going forward, the KSAC, as part of our contribution to the public education campaign that is going to be required, will be holding public consultations, discussions and workshops about the Bills and the implications of the Bills for the council, for our community based organizations … and for how we engage the citizens,” Dr. Brown Burke said.

Senator Brown Burke  was addressing the monthly meeting  of the KSAC, held on January 12 in  downtown, Kingston.

The Corporation is in the process of assembling a Planning Committee to organize the public education series.

The Bills represent an important milestone in Local Government reform. They are the Local Governance Bill; Local Government (Unified Service and Employment) Bill; and the Local Government (Financing and Financial Management) Bill.

They  provide for the establishment of a framework to accommodate the various types of local authorities; expand their mandate to include sustainable development and the maintenance of civic order; create accountability and transparency mechanisms for local authorities; define the role and relationship between the administrative and political organs of local authorities; and empower civil society and communities in the governance process.

The Bills  are  currently going through the Parliamentary process.