Local Government Reform

On May 1, 2008, Cabinet approved the Green Paper on Local Government Reform: Roles and Responsibilities of Local Government Bodies. In 2006, the Ministry of Local Government engaged the services of a consultancy firm through the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The consultants were mandated to gather data and host consultative sessions with several stakeholders. After their reports were reviewed by an Oversight Committee comprising officials from both the Ministry of Local Government and the UNDP, a position document based on the consultants' findings was subjected to extensive discussions by a Cabinet sub-committee chaired by the Honourable Prime Minister. A decision was then taken to first determine the roles and responsibilities of Municipal Corporations and later, the structure, organization and legal framework.

The mission of the Local Government Reform programme is to "facilitate the transformation and modernization of local communities by empowering citizens to participate in the decision-making process." In keeping with this mandate, the Ministry of Local Government will be hosting further stakeholder consultations during the month of May to communicate the broad objectives of the Reform Programme, its Vision, Mission, Core Values and key focal areas of the roles and responsibilities. The five core areas as outlined in the Green Paper are:

• Municipal Management – This involves achieving operational efficiency in Finance, Information Communication Technology, Capital Infrastructural Assets Management and Human Resources.
• Social Services – The social, safety and security needs of the community will be addressed through the development of a vibrant community policing service. Additionally, the promotion of sport and culture in the development of sustainable communities will be extensive.
• Economic Development - We propose to facilitate commercially viable options and ventures in the areas of waste management, local tourism, agriculture and other areas that may emerge from within the community over time.
• Environmental Management - This involves facilitating the preparation and implementation of regional and local area development plans. The focus will be on sustainable activities that demonstrate care and concern for the environment.
• Resilient Communities – This involves creating more responsive communities using capacity and competency-building interventions...communities that can cope with unexpected and extreme events and respond creatively to economic, social and technological changes.