Local Governance at Top of National Agenda

The new government, which was elected to office on December 29, 2011, has placed local governance at the top of the national agenda, with a full Ministry of Local Government and Community Development established under the leadership of Hon. Noel Arscott with Hon. Colin Fagan as State Minister.

Under the Portia Simpson Miller-led administration, the Local Government Elections, which were constitutionally due, were held, with the ruling People’s National Party (PNP) emerging victorious, winning 149 seats of the island’s 227 divisions. The Opposition Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) won 76 divisions, with Independents winning the other two.

The elections, which were held on March 26, saw the PNP winning 12 of the 13 parish councils, including the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC). There was a tie in the Trelawny Parish Council with the PNP and the JLP winning four seats each, and the Independent candidate taking the other seat.

In the Portmore Municipal Council, the PNP also took control of the municipality. The contest also saw the ruling party’s George Lee unseating the JLP’s Keith Hinds as the Mayor of Portmore.

The Minister, during his first 100 days in office, visited the local authorities across the island, to become familiar with the representatives, hear their concerns and to assess the state of facilities, including parks and markets.

Mr. Arscot emphasised that the parish council is a vital part of local government and he wants “to get to the councils as quickly as possible, so that I can get an on-site appraisal."

During his visit to Brown’s Town in St. Ann in January, the Minister announced that the town’s market, which was extensively damaged in a massive fire some months ago, will be refurbished at a cost of $14 million.

The Minister, in January, also allocated $3.5 million to the Hanover and Westmoreland Parish Councils, to assist with the trucking of water to communities affected by seasonal drought conditions.

Since his appointment, Minister Arscott has met with representatives from the Fire Department, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and the Social Development Commission (SDC), among other agencies under his portfolio to chart the way forward.

He said that efforts are ongoing to make improvements to the fire service and personnel is being boosted with the inclusion of 100 new trainees, while another 120 are in training and are set to graduate soon. “So, we expect a much improved service while we try to finance additional units and stations,” he stated.

Turning to the long-awaited local government reform, Minister Arscott said the government is moving “full speed ahead” with the process with three pieces of legislation to be fast tracked. These are: the Local Governance Act, the Local Government Financing and Financial Management Act, and the Human Resource Management Act. “We are working assiduously to ensure that the proper legislation is in place and we are trying to see if we can fast track it in the 50th year of our anniversary,” Mr. Arscott said.

He informed that the Ministry will be embarking on a local economic development programme in various parishes, which will “ensure that the local economies are stimulated and that the development of local industries will thrive under the local government system”.

One of the biggest challenges of the Ministry since the administration gained power, was the handling of a fire at the Riverton Landfill and Disposal Site, which started on February 6. The Ministry, in collaboration with various agencies, worked to quickly control the fire and institute measures to abate the smoke nuisance within 72 hours.

Outlining the challenges at the landfill, Minister Arscot explained that the site is nearly 100 acres “and you can have a fire anywhere at any time” as it produces gases, primarily methane. He noted that the chemicals associated with fluorescent tubes, computer parts, aerosol cans, and plastics, comprise the gaseous material that can lead to spontaneous combustion.

To address this situation, Mr. Arscott mandated the new board of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) to ensure proper and timely management of the landfill and to begin an educational programme to ensure separation of waste.

Noting that another problem that contributed to the fire, was the fact that the landfill has not been covered entirely for a long time, he said that “what we intend to do is to cover the areas that are not (part of) the active dump site (with soil) and to open dump cells,” he said. He informed that plans are also in place to create a better access road to the site and that ODPEM will monitor the area via satellite.

The Minister informed further that there are plans to identify other disposal sites as the lifespan of the current dump site may not be able to be extended beyond another five years.  “I expect, in short order, to have the team begin aggressively looking at (identifying other) disposal sites across the country,” he stated.

Meanwhile, a forensic audit into the operations of the NSWMA was undertaken. The audit follows a mysterious fire which occurred at the NSWMA’s Half-Way Tree Road head office, in December, during which numerous documents were destroyed.

In the meantime, the long-awaited municipal court system to deal with parochial matters will be introduced across the island soon. The Minister said the move to establish municipal courts, although part of the Local Government process, is being done under a wider Justice Reform Programme, to establish specialised courts.

He noted that the Portmore Municipal Council and the St. Ann Parish Council have already implemented municipal courts, and he is hoping that the process will be fast tracked to cover the entire island.