Parish Councils Being Updated on Local Government Reform

Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister with special responsibility for Local Government Reform, Robert Montague, has embarked on a visit to Parish Councils islandwide, to update them on the progress of the reform process.
The tour began in Western Jamaica on July 10, with a visit to the Westmoreland Parish Council.
“We are having dialogue with the Councillors, hearing from them, updating them on the progress of the various Local Government reform recommendations and their status, because the councillors are part of our stakeholders. We also want to give them advance warning of some of the things that are to come, so that they can get ready for the new dispensation,” Mr. Montague told JIS News following his Westmoreland meeting.
He said that the series of meetings would be done in two phases, with the parishes of Westmoreland, Hanover, St. James and Trelawny to be visited in the first phase. The second phase is scheduled to begin in September with visits to the parish councils in the rest of the island. Mr. Montague said he is hoping to visit all parish councils with his Local Government reform message by the end of September or early October. His schedule will see him having a meeting with the Hanover Parish Councillors and other community representatives, today (July 11), while on Tuesday, July 15 he will be visiting the St. James Parish Council to have dialogue with councillors and representatives from the business community within the parish.