LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT MINISTER MOURNS DEATH OF COUNCILLOR FOR ISLINGTON DIVISION

Posted on March 2, 2023

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, has expressed shock and sadness at the passing of the Councillor for the Islingston Division in St. Mary, Mr. Lincoln Dixon. Mr. Dixon died earlier today.

“I was shocked when I heard this news, especially after the recent passing of Councillor Dixon’s son. This unexpected event has left everyone stunned, from family and friends, to his colleagues in the St. Mary Municipal Corporation and his political home, the Peoples’ National Party.

“Lincoln Dixon came to officially serve as the Councillor for the Islington Division, following the Local Government Elections of 2012, and served its people and the local government system with dedication. They rewarded him with the unprecedented distinction of voting for him to represent them in consecutive elections. No standard-bearer of any political party had ever won the Islington Division in back-to-back local government elections.

“I also want to use his untimely passing to pay tribute to the elected servants of local government who we have lost more recently. Lincoln Dixon made his mark in the relatively short time that he served as a Councillor, and I want to say publicly to his friends and colleagues that his efforts were not in vain. For his family, I pray for the strength and faith to endure this terrible time of loss. May he rest in peace for eternity, in the everlasting embrace of his Creator.”

Rural Development Programme advances in Chambers Pen, Hanover

Posted on February 28, 2023

The multi-faceted Rural Development Programme (RDP) is progressing in the community of Chambers Pen, Western Hanover.

The RDP is spearheaded by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

“The work is about 30 percent complete – the (Chambers Pen All Age) school, the electrical wiring, the distribution of the water tanks, we have already put in the water distribution lines. There are some more connections to be made, with the roads and other things that are going to come,” explained Portfolio Minister, Honourable Desmond McKenzie.

“Once that gets started it will get us, hopefully by the middle of the year, to about 80 per cent complete.

Chambers Pen is the RDP pilot project where resources of more than J$223 million are being spent to improve the social and physical conditions of the community.

A partnership between the local government and education ministries saw the principal’s cottage and the cafeteria at the all-age school renovated at a cost of J$30m. Computer tablets are to be distributed to students, and the school ground is also slated for repairs at a later date.

The next phase of work will involve the community park and the community centre.

Minister McKenzie said he was ecstatic about the advancements on the ground.

“I am feeling very good about the progress of the work between the Jamaica Social Investment Fund, that has come in and have completed their work. The Jamaica Public Service is to come to put in streetlights in certain selected areas, Rural Water Supply Limited has been working, the Social Development Commission has been on the ground…now the real construction will start, which includes repairs to the bridges, the putting in of the curb walls, sidewalks, and rehabilitation of the roads.”

The RDP was announced by the Government in 2021 and a total of four communities islandwide are to benefit from the initiative in the first phase of the programme.

The Minister visited Chambers Pen on February 16 and participated in several activities including a tour of the Chambers Pen All Age School; the commissioning of the Chambers Pen Water Supply System and a contract signing for road rehabilitation as well as the handover of an indigent housing solution.

“Ladies and gentlemen, all of this investment will mean nothing if the community doesn’t embrace and take care of this investment. This is your tax dollar working for you… I urge you to take care of the investment,” he said during the ceremony to commission the water system.

Rural Water Supply Limited’s Managing Director, Mr. Audley Thompson, says the entity spent J$49m on the system that will be connected to that of the National Water Commission (NWC). Households will also be provided with 400-gallon black water tanks for standby supply. To date, 300 tanks have been distributed.

Chambers Pen is a farming community located approximately nine kilometres east of Lucea, with an estimated population of 1,100 residents. The adjoining communities include Dundee Pen, Eaton, Harvey River, and McLaren Gate.

St. James Infirmary gets new J$45m male ward

Posted on February 27, 2023February 27, 2023

The St. James Infirmary now boasts a new male ward built at a cost of J$45 million through a joint venture between the National Housing Trust and the St. James Municipal Corporation.

The new addition, which will house 40 residents, was officially opened by Honourable Desmond McKenzie, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development during a special ceremony at the facility on February 15.

The Minister shared that the Government has spent more than J$1 billion to date improving facilities for the country’s most vulnerable citizens through its infirmaries and homeless shelters.

“Improving the conditions of the less fortunate must become a priority of the Government, [and] all infirmaries in Jamaica, under this Administration, have received significant benefits.”

He commended the technical team who directed the ward’s construction and described the design as “really wonderful”.

Minister McKenzie posited that the focus will now shift to the construction of a new kitchen and dining hall at the St. James Infirmary.

The Ministry also provided a tranche of J$11m to outfit the new ward with furniture including beds and other items such as appliances, medical equipment, stand aids, and appliances. The new ward is also equipped with a dormitory; a doctor’s office, physiotherapy room, shower room, and bathroom.

Last November, a therapeutic park was commissioned at the Infirmary located in Albion, Montego Bay. The park boasts recreational spaces, a mural and a water fountain.

Mayor of Montego Bay and Chairman of the St. James Municipal Corporation, Councillor Leeroy Williams, said the construction of the new ward reflected the Infirmary’s growth through improved operations and service delivery.

“In the near future, we will see the construction of a new female ward, and as we continue to grow, we will not leave the vulnerable behind. This modern facility will be a beacon of hope and will boast the spirits of residents and their families, while also improving the work and morale of the caregivers,” he noted.

Bill piloted to postpone Local Government Elections -Polls on hold until February 2024

Posted on February 23, 2023

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Honourable Desmond McKenzie on Tuesday piloted a Bill in the Houses of Representatives effectively postponing Local Government Elections until February 2024.

The Bill entitled Representation of the People (Postponement of Elections to Municipal Corporations and City Municipalities) Act, 2023. Last February, the House passed an amendment Act to temporarily modify the Representation of the People Act to push back the polls until February 28, 2023.

Minister McKenzie told his colleague Parliamentarians that Jamaica’s delicate post-Covid 19 recovery is foremost for the Government.

“We are in a better position than last year but we are not out of the woods yet. On the economic front, The Government is sharply focused on two main things. One, building of national resilience against further economic shocks whether caused by man-made or natural factors,” he explained.

“Two, the expansion and sustenance of economic growth that all our citizens can feel and see at a personal level.”

He underscored that holding the polls at this time risks diverting the country from these two vital tasks. The Minister also noted that the postponement will facilitate the conclusion of public consultation concerning draft legislation that will establish Portmore as Jamaica’s 15^th parish.

“The legislation will among other things set Portmore’s parish boundaries, and will therefore be inseparable from the process of holding the next Local Government Elections. It means that for the first time since the practice of Universal Adult Suffrage in Jamaica, the residents of fifteen parishes will elect their local government representatives. We look forward to the historic experience of inviting the people of the parish of Portmore to go to the polls.”

Minister McKenzie maintained that the decision to seek this postponement was not hasty.

He added: “The Government of Jamaica cherishes its democratic credentials, and will do nothing to undermine the primary expression of a democratic society – the right to vote. As the Minister responsible for Local Government, I wish to assure the House and the country that we are still committed to having the next Local Government Elections, in the shortest practicable time”.

 

Water Shop opened in Mile Gully, Manchester

Posted on February 20, 2023February 20, 2023

MILE GULLY, Manchester:  A J$14 million water shop, storing 16,000 gallons of the commodity, has been officially opened to serve residents of Mile Gully and its environs in Manchester.

 The facility, which is a project under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, will be operated by the Manchester Municipal Corporation.

“The Government has been working to improve the water supply systems across the country, not just by means of putting in water shops, but to make communities accessible to the service provided by the National Water Commission,” Portfolio Minister, Honourable Desmond McKenzie said during the handover ceremony on February 10.

“We can’t just snap our fingers and the problems are solved overnight, but every step that we take is a step in the right direction.”

He also appealed to the residents to take care of the water shop and not to allow it to be used for commercial purposes.

“… They use it to establish car wash. They use it for farming and the one that is more disgusting than anything else is that they drive up and they load drums of water and go and sell it to people,” he said.

“This is not something that we are going to tolerate. In one particular parish, we have already caught two of the culprits red-handed.”

Minister McKenzie also visited the site of a water shop under construction in Somerset, Manchester. Three other water shops are operating in the parish, and the Rural Water Supply Limited will undertake a J$12m renovation project of the water facility in Plowden district.

Member of Parliament for North West Manchester, Mr. Mikael Phillips, lauded the Minister for his assistance in supplying water to the constituency. He said these efforts will make a significant impact in addressing the chronic water shortage in the constituency where only 30 percent of residents have potable water.

 “This water shop is important to the surrounding communities that will greatly benefit from it. North West has quite a bit of parish tanks and what we have been doing through the councillors and myself is that we have been using the CDF (Community Development Fund) and installing 2000-gallons water tanks at various points across the constituency,” the MP shared.

“If there is anything else that we ask, is that the Ministry helps us in putting in more of these wayside tanks that I will match with my CDF with the delivery of water.”

Minister McKenzie also disclosed that budgetary allocation has been made for four additional water shops to be built in Manchester during the 2023/2024 financial year.

MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONDEMNS MURDER OF HOMELESS MAN IN PORT MARIA, ST. MARY

Posted on February 7, 2023

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Hon. Desmond McKenzie has strongly denounced the murder of Mr. O’Neil Collin, a homeless man whose body was found with the throat slashed in Port Maria, St. Mary yesterday (Sunday).

“What we know so far is that Mr. Collin’s body was found yesterday morning, near the Port Maria Police Station. He was well known to the St. Mary Poor Relief Department, and was a regular user of the Drop-In Centre in the parish. Indeed, staff members of the Poor Relief  Department were on a routine assignment to feed homeless persons when they encountered the tragic scene, which the police had started to process.

“O’Neil Collin was known as a quiet, unassuming man who largely kept to himself and had no known conflict with anyone. It is beyond baffling as to why anyone would want to hurt him, much more to destroy him in this heinous way. This is a terrible act, and I await the conclusion of the investigations by the Port Maria Police. I am also concerned about reports that another homeless person was beaten and is now in hospital, though thankfully his injuries are not considered life-threatening.

“Our homeless men and women are citizens of Jamaica, and their lives are no less valuable than our people who enjoy a better standard of living. I urge anyone who may have witnessed what happened to provide the police with any available facts. No civilized society can allow acts such as these to go by the wayside.

“While we do not yet know the circumstances of Mr. Collin’s death, I want to urge our homeless population to use the Night Shelters regularly not only for food and hygiene, but also for security. Almost all the attacks on our homeless citizens have taken place during the hours of darkness. We continue, through the Local Authorities, to appeal directly to them to make even greater use of the infrastructure and services that these facilities provide.”

Late St. Ann firefighter to be honoured – Ocho Rios Fire Station to be renamed in his memory

Posted on February 3, 2023

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development will take steps to rename the Ocho Rios Fire Station in St. Ann to preserve the memory of the firefighter who lost his life on December 1 last year.

The station will be formally changed to the Ocho Rios Fire Lorenzo Garnet Douse Memorial Building in memory of the late firefighter, who was based at that location at the time of his death.

“Brothers and sisters, we are not just going to mourn Lorenzo’s passing. We are going to preserve his memory,” announced Portfolio Minister, Honourable Desmond McKenzie during the funeral service for the 25-year-old firefighter at Moneague College in St. Ann on January 28.

Firefighter Douse met an untimely demise while on duty on November 30, 2022, when he was struck by a motor vehicle that overtook a line of traffic and slammed into the back of a fire truck parked in the vicinity of the Reynolds Pier in Ocho Rios.

The Minister said too that the Ministry will also establish a scholarship in the young firefighter’s honour.

“I want to also announce the Lorenzo Garnet Douse Scholarship Fund that will be established to assist young firefighters, aged 18 to 25, to advance in their training,” he explained.

“This is our [Government] contribution to the preservation of his name. I know that his family and friends will always keep him alive in their hearts and in their memories.”

Minister McKenzie also used the somber occasion to remind motorists to exercise greater discipline on the roadways.

He indicated that the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) has responded to over a 1,000 motor vehicle crashes across the island, pointing out that the level of indiscipline on the roads continues to be a major concern.

“Let us use the death of [this] young man to say to ourselves… ‘life is precious’. This is a man who could have gone on to be the next Commissioner of the JFB. But now, we will never know [because of] one person behind the steering wheel of a motorcar that tried to defy the odds and robbed a young child of a father, [and] robbed the JFB of a young man whose future no one [can] now determine.”

For his part, JFB Commissioner, Stewart Beckford, acknowledged the tremendous support received, following the passing of Firefighter Douse.

He said the condolences and unwavering support continue to pour in from across the island, as the nation mourns with the Brigade.

Added Commissioner Beckford: “Your intervention was timely and has proven useful in helping us through this most difficult period”.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: The Indigent Housing Programme

Posted on January 26, 2023January 26, 2023

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development reintroduced the Indigent Housing Programme in 2017 under its Municipal Social Assistance Programme (MSAP).

The Ministry appreciates that housing is a fundamental need and should be provided as a right to every individual.

The demand for this initiative outweighs the supply. Subsidized housing, whether in the form of fully furnished units or helping with renovations, continues to be one of the main requests made of the Poor Relief Departments at the Municipal Corporations (formerly Parish Councils).

Poor Relief currently caters to over 14,000 Registered Poor Clients. Data gleaned from field visits indicate that many of these individuals’ housing conditions are deplorable and sometimes structurally unsafe.

Through the Indigent Housing Programme which was designed to address the housing difficulties faced by the poor and most vulnerable, the Ministry has completed 59 units islandwide, with work ongoing on 19 units.

Applicants for the Indigent Housing Programme are screened through the Poor Relief Departments, where an investigation and verification procedure are carried out to establish need. Applicants must also demonstrate ownership of the property on which the house is to be built or provide documentation that they are lawfully entitled to tenure on such property.

The Ministry has developed three (3) types of solutions:

1. A studio unit
2. One bedroom unit
3. Two (2) bedroom family unit

The houses are made of concrete for longevity and sloped roofs that enable rainwater harvesting. Basic furnishing is also included.

 

For further information contact:

The Board of Supervision

Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development

61 Hagley Park Road, Kingston 10

Telephone: 876-618-7360-9

Email:  [email protected]

Two more indigent houses handed over in St. Mary

Posted on January 23, 2023

Two additional indigent housing solutions with a cost tag of J$9.5 million were handed over in St. Mary on Friday (January 20).

The beneficiaries are 64-year-old Shirley Nugent of Hamilton Mountain near Oracabessa and George Simms, an 83-year-old resident of Heywood Hall, Port Maria. Miss Nugent and Mr. Simms received their keys to a $4.5m studio unit and a one-bedroom unit valued at $5m, respectively, under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development’s Indigent Housing Programme.

“It is the intention of this administration to ensure that those persons who are in need of proper housing (have the opportunity to access this),” said Portfolio Minister Desmond McKenzie.

He also noted that the Government is committed to improving the housing stock across the country; and that as part of this mandate, more housing solutions are to be rolled out to meet the demand for housing.

“We in the (Ministry of) Local Government are playing our part in contributing to the housing stock of the country as announced by the Most Honourable Prime Minister.”

Minister McKenzie disclosed that $27.5m has been invested in social housing for the parish of St. Mary.

The self-contained St. Mary housing units were constructed using concrete, block, and steel, with full bathroom suite, counter tops and cupboards for the kitchen, and a living/sleeping area. The units were also equipped with water tanks.

Mayor of Port Maria, Councillor Richard Creary, says four indigent housing units have been approved under the Indigent Housing Programme for the parish. To date, three have been completed and handed over while the fourth house in under construction.

“We really applaud this programme…we were dependent on Food for the Poor, who over the years, have assisted us greatly in this regard in providing housing for our citizens. But this programme has taken new light where we see quality houses made of block and steel… and the finishing are very well done. I would like to commend Minister McKenzie for taking this programme to another level,” he said.

The Indigent Housing Programme is designed to specifically address the challenges of substandard housing under the Ministry’s Municipal Social Assistance Programme (MSAP).

Applicants for the programme are screened through the Poor Relief Department in each municipality.

Port Maria family gets new home -Solution built under the Ministry of Local Government’s Indigent Housing Programme

Posted on January 18, 2023

PORT MARIA, St. Mary: A family from Crane Park in Port maria is the latest beneficiary of a J$9 million indigent housing solution from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

The family’s matriarch Norma ‘Peaches’ Folkes accepted the keys to her new two-bedroom concrete dwelling from Prime Minister Andrew Holness during a ceremony at Crane Park in Port Maria on January 13.

“Your house is quite dignified,” the Prime Minister Holness said of the quality design and features.

“I hold the view and continue to hold that not because someone is poor that they should get poor housing. I believe that shelter, along with education, are the critical elements of poverty response.”

Miss Folkes and her family’s living situation was compromised by severe flooding in 2021. Built to prevent flooding, the new house is made of reinforced concrete with a tropical design and sloped roof for water harvesting. It was outfitted with beds, dressers, a stove, dining table and chairs, and washtub.

Portfolio Minister, Honourable Desmond McKenzie recalled that he learnt of Ms. Folkes’ plight during a visit to St. Mary following the 2021 flood rains that severely impacted the parish.

“The house that Peaches and her family occupied was totally flooded out and the cry was that Peaches needs help,” the Minister shared.

He said he gave instructions for the Municipal Corporation and the Ministry’s Technical Director to move with swiftness to assist the family.

The Indigent Housing Programme is designed to specifically address the challenges of substandard housing by providing more effective ways to respond to the needs of citizens for decent shelter. Applicants for the programme are screened through the Poor Relief Department in each municipality.

Additionally, the applicant must provide proof of ownership of the land on which the shelter solution is to be constructed or of being legally entitled to build on such land.

The Prime Minister also emphasized that the Government is taking steps to ensure that those in dire need are provided with houses.

“There are two programmes of the Government to treat with issues of social housing. One programme is the New Social Housing Programme, [under] which you see me, almost every week, presenting to beneficiaries new housing solutions constructed for them,” he explained.

“…Then there is the Indigent Housing Programme, which is part of the responsibility of the Ministry of Local Government to assist persons who have been established as poor and who have had some form of disaster, or impacted by some event, in their life – such as, for example, a flooding or a fire, or a landslide, or the collapse of their house – and they are not in a position to recover or respond positively to those kinds of disaster events,” he added.

Holness said that the Local Government Ministry is aiming to assist some 100 cases annually.