By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
OFFICIALS are looking at possibly amending the Local Government Act to give it more “teeth”, Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs Minister Clay Sweeting said yesterday.
His comment came when asked if local government is working in the way it was intended.
“I think that all systems of governance over time have to evolve to how we evolve as a country and as a people. That is why we and a team go throughout the country, and meet with the people and meet with the council members. And for them to give suggestions on how we can evolve even more to make it more meaningful to the people in these communities,” he said.
“So the review committee (has) submitted their suggestions and recommendations, where we are looking at amending the Local Government Act once again, but hopefully, this time with more teeth. One of those where these councils will be able to have revenue raising powers, which will provide them with more funding to provide more capital projects within their communities.”
He said another suggestion is changing the position of chief councillor to mayor.
“Another suggestion was also that the chief councillor or the mayor gets elected separately from the council,” he said.
Other suggestions include some of the districts being changed from second schedule to third schedule or vice versa.
A third schedule district is a district where there is an election of persons from various polling areas, or settlements within those communities. Once those individuals are elected, they form the council and the council then becomes the statutory boards. In this district, the District Council also has statutory power so they are town planning, hotel licensing, road traffic, and port authorities.
March has been deemed Local Government Month and there will be several events, including a fun run, walk, church service and a flag raising ceremony.
Local government has over 300 staff and 512 local government practitioners.
“There are those individuals who remain the faces of local government in our various Family Island communities,” Mr Sweeting
Comments
Flyingfish 1 year, 1 month ago
Can we get some local government here in N.P, I don't think I should have to deal with the slackness of Ministry of Environment just to keep the parks cleans or Ministry of Works just to get a simple sidewalk repaired/built.
The reason our communities are in decline is because we have a bunch of people not from them and who never have the experience of living there running services that they can't keep up with. If Planning and Environmental powers were given to N.P communities people would certainly benefit.
Also, if they are gonna give the title of Mayor out please make sure that these individuals actual are in charge of a town/settlement or it literally makes no sense to call them that. Chief Counselor will do just fine with added powers Hopefully, Family Island Councils will be given the ability to raise funds and make investments.
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