Members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) are now protecting personnel and property at Disposal Sites island-wide, as part of a wider security plan being implemented in the wake of recent fires set at the locations. This was announced today by Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, after a special meeting held with the Board of the National Solid Waste Management Authority.

“The JCF and the JDF are on duty as we speak, and arrangements are already being made to enhance their physical presence at the Disposal Sites with private security personnel. Additionally, we will be procuring and deploying surveillance Drones to constantly monitor all activities at the Disposal Sites. The Government is serious when it says that the Disposal Sites, which are national assets, will be protected, and that the workers assigned to them will also be protected.”

The Minister stated that the security plan being rolled out at the Disposal Sites is intended to address all identified issues in the short, medium and long term. “We are responding not only to current issues, but we also allocating resources and using personnel and strategies over time to ensure that security breaches will be eliminated once and for all. This Administration has strongly resolved that the plans to continue managing the Disposal Sites, and to prepare them to be turned over to private ownership and public regulation as part of the national waste to energy policy, will not be sabotaged by criminally-minded people bent of profiting from the discomfort of their fellow citizens.”

Minister McKenzie also called on citizens to support the Government’s efforts at enhancing security, and to expose and condemn those who ignited the latest fires for their heartless and illegal actions.

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, has secured enhanced protection for all the workers involved in extinguishing the residual smoke at the Riverton Disposal Site, in the wake of threats issued against them.

“They have been threatened by unscrupulous persons, who, as I indicated before, have a tradition of setting fires at Riverton with the intent of profiting from putting them out. Based on intelligence so far obtained, arrangements have been made for enhanced security not only at Riverton, but at all the Disposal Sites affected by fires recently, including Retirement in St. James and Church Corner in St. Thomas. This Administration will not bow to any form of intimidation from the lawless in our society.”

In assuring the workers that they are safe, the Minister noted that this incident is further proof that the fires that have occurred at the Disposal Sites over the past six weeks are organized. “The people who are doing this are well aware that there are expenses incurred in extinguishing the fires, and this sabotage, this assault on the environment, is driven substantially by a cynical desire to make money. They do not represent the average Jamaican, who I call on today to support the Government, and expose and condemn them for their callous and illegal actions.”

The Minister said the macro-economic gains made by the Government, and the governance and social interventions made through the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, will not be allowed to be hindered by criminally-minded people who are unconcerned about the health and well-being of their fellow citizens.

MONTEGO BAY, July 19 (JIS): Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Honourable Desmond McKenzie, has announced that there will be an increase in the number of participants employed in the agency’s Youth Summer Employment Programme (YSEP).

The programme, which is in its second year, will commence on August 9 and employ young persons over a four-week period to conduct an audit of street lights, and to do other tasks.

Speaking at the Local Governance Conference in Montego Bay, St. James on July 19, 2018, the Minister noted that last year, some 2,500 young people were employed across all the municipalities, and this year the number will be increased to 3,000.

“The decision to do the audit while creating employment for the youth has certainly benefited us. Based on the audit that was done last year, we were in a better position to represent our case as a local authority with the Jamaica Public Service Company as it relates to the amount of street lights that are working across the country,” Mr. McKenzie said.

He added that in this year’s programme, the summer employees will also assist the local authorities in identifying persons who have trade licences.

“This programme will see each councillor having 15 individuals in the respective divisions and mayors will have 25 participants,” the Minister said.

Mr. McKenzie pointed out that the findings will be recorded in a database that will provide information for the Ministry and the Municipal Corporations.

The summer initiative falls under the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) programme, which provides educational and job opportunities for young people, aged 18 to 24, who are not employed or enrolled in a school or programme of training.

MONTEGO BAY, July 18 (JIS): Mayor of Kingston and St. Andrew, Senator Councillor Delroy Williams, says a coordinated approach to urban planning and development in the town centres and cities will improve responsiveness and accountability in the Municipalities.

Mr. Williams, who made a presentation at the recent Local Governance Conference in Montego Bay, St. James, said the urban sector is a key contributor to economic growth, as cities and towns are hubs for jobs, educational and health facilities, and transportation.

“Good urban governance and accountability require technocratic and professional expertise, but equally as important is a capable municipal service. City managers and urban planners must adopt a long term outlook in policy formation,” he argued.

The Mayor said that a coordinated approach among agencies is the revolutionary way which provides a procedure that helps cities identify their strengths and weaknesses, while defining the main strategies for local development.

“This is absolutely necessary for change. The public services need to be aligned and interconnected. People must see us as one entity, so when roads are being fixed, water pipes are fixed also – at the same time,” he emphasised.

Mr. Williams said that the coordinated approach will also help to avoid the pitfalls of making quick decisions that will prove costly over time.

“Mayors, you are in a critical role to bring this coordination together and to encourage State agencies to start working together to actualize true urban development,” he told the audience.

Mr. Williams said the decisions that influence planning must be derived from robust debates and inclusive contributions from all stakeholders to “work the policies to a logical end, to ensure that before they are implemented, they address critical urban challenges faced by all.”

“Coordination is essential for solving urban challenges, and modern urban challenges fall outside of existing organizational boundaries. So, let us have plans that have a futuristic outlook that relate to our policy formulation. We have to think, plan and work together for the future,” the Mayor said.

MONTEGO BAY, July 18 (JIS): Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is recommending that community members be trained as disaster first responders.

Addressing the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development’s Local Governance Conference in Montego Bay on July 17, 2018; Mr. Holness also challenged the island’s municipal corporations to train their staff in disaster management.

“If the corporations require assistance, they should collaborate with existing bodies, such as the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) programme to get training to equip young people in communities to assist in times of natural or man-made disasters,” the Prime Minister suggested.

Mr. Holness, who is also Chairman of the National Disaster Risk Management Council, said this will help the country to be better prepared to tackle the frequency and intensity of disasters, which can destabilise the economy.

“Local government has so much to do with preparing the minds of the citizens as it relates to natural disasters. A big part of this preparedness is training coordinators to re-culture how citizens operate, which includes getting people not to live in gully courses and on river banks,” the Prime Minister said.

“There is nothing more powerful than the councillor explaining to them (citizens) the dangers they face when they do things that could create disaster risks, and having locally structured programmes to facilitate their movement and prevent and lower these risks,” he added.

Meanwhile, Local Government and Community Development Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, said it is his desire to see noticeable improvements in disaster risk reduction, mitigation and resilience modalities in all municipal corporations.

The Minister said he also welcomes the recommendations made by Prime Minister Holness.

Mr. McKenzie noted that the conference is a precursor to the regional conference on disaster management and risk reduction to be held in July 2020.

MONTEGO BAY, July 18 (JIS): Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Honourable Desmond McKenzie, says the staging of the inaugural conference on local governance provides the opportunity to explore strategies aimed at enhancing operations.

He noted that with the local authorities being responsible for 75 per cent of the services provided to the public, it is important to review and examine measures to improve the direction of local governance.

“The Ministry is responsible for roads, minor water supply, garbage collection, street light, cemeteries, public recreation, markets, butcher licence, infirmaries, community development… you name it.

“All these services that the entire country needs require the input of local government, so we must have conferences of this nature to revisit and improve on how we approach matters,” he said while addressing the event being held at the Jewel Grande Montego Bay Resort in St. James.

Among the critical areas being addressed at the three-day event, which got under way on July 17, is the enhanced training and sensitisation of staff about their roles and responsibilities. “This should improve the question of accountability to prevent deficiencies in the system,” Minister McKenzie pointed out.

He welcomed the involvement of municipal members from other regions and noted that their participation in the conference signals the value of partnerships in strengthening and improving operations in Jamaica.

For her part, Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Marsha Henry Martin, shared that the conference is an important milestone for local governance in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.

“At the end of this, we anticipate that the local government practitioners will be rejuvenated and recognise the requirement to be more accountable and responsive to the people,” she said.

“A barber in his shop or hairdresser, the butcher, the developer and even the homeowner who desires to get an approved plan, persons who require welfare of cemetery services must engage the local authorities, and we want everyone to benefit from the highest quality of service from local practitioners,” Mrs. Henry Martin pointed out.

She said that space has been created for interface and dialogue about these and other matters that are in support of the national growth thrust.

MONTEGO BAY, July 17 (JIS): Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Homer Davis, is calling for greater synergy between the municipal corporations and central government.

Speaking at the opening of the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development local governance conference in Montego Bay, St. James on July 17, Mayor Davis said he welcomes the conference, as it brings together the decision makers from the municipalities to make plans and positive changes to local government.

“If we work together, surely our efforts will help us in our respective municipal corporations to push the agenda for national development. We can also learn from each other and adopt best practices that work,” the Mayor said.

He encouraged the mayors and administrative leaders of the municipal corporations to take the time to understand their roles and how they can contribute to their parishes to achieve the desired synergy and success.

“As mayors and councillors, we are the ones that the citizens from our divisions hold accountable for issues related to garbage collection, for the repair and installation of street lights and for issues relating to drain cleaning. So, let us use our positions as public officers to be the positive change… Jamaica has been yearning for,” the Mayor said.

He expressed concern about the local authorities not having the power to take corrective or disciplinary action against agencies, and requested Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, to consider his petition.

“The development of the parishes can be negatively impacted by the inaction of agencies. We must be able to hold agencies accountable when they fail the citizens. That is why I am urging all mayors, let us petition that we are given more teeth to manage the affairs of our parishes,” he said.

The conference is being held under the theme ‘Strengthening responsiveness and accountability within the local governance framework’.

KINGSTON, July 17 (JIS): Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, says he will be examining the procedure for the granting of building approvals by the local government authorities in order to speed up the process.

He argued that “territorial behaviour” by the municipal bodies in the issuance of such permits often results in delays, negatively impacting the country’s building approval rating and hindering national growth targets.

“Jamaica is ranked 70, which is second in the region, in the World Bank ‘Ease of Doing Business’ report. However, with respect to construction permits, which deals with building approvals, the country stands at 98 globally out of 190 countries,” the Prime Minister lamented.

“I am absolutely committed to the process of getting government efficient. So, I am taking this opportunity to raise my concerns to the local government institutions that we cannot allow internal territorial behaviour to slow up national [progress],” he said.

The Prime Minister was addressing mayors, councillors and administrators at the opening ceremony of the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development’s Local Governance Conference in Montego Bay, St. James, on Tuesday, July 17, 2018.

He urged the officers to make use of the Application Management and Data Automation (AMANDA) system, which is designed to track and manage development applications, in order to speed up the delivery of building permits and approvals.

“I hope that at this conference, when you’re discussing responsiveness and accountability… the AMANDA system is on the top of your list. We have spent a lot of money equipping your offices with the relevant tools to yield the results. I’m hoping that you have been training your staff to use it. We can’t spend all this money to put in place a system, to use a technology-generated support system and then don’t use it,” the Prime Minister pointed out.

The three-day local governance conference- which concludes on Thursday, July 19 – is being held under the theme ‘Strengthening Responsiveness and Accountability within the Local Governance Framework’.

KINGSTON, July 13 (JIS): The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development will be hosting its inaugural Local Governance Conference from July 17 to 19 at the Jewel Grande Montego Bay Resort & Spa in St. James.

The three-day meeting is in keeping with the Ministry’s focus on improving the effectiveness of governance at the local level.

Under the theme ‘Strengthening responsiveness and accountability within the local governance framework’, the event will bring together mayors, chief executive officers, chief financial officers and parish disaster coordinators to examine the role of local government in achieving Jamaica’s macroeconomic and financial targets for 2030 and beyond.

The objective is to strengthen the capacity of political and administrative leaders in the execution of their functions and increase awareness about the role of local government in achieving the national growth agenda.

Portfolio Minister, Honourable Desmond McKenzie, said the conference, which will be the first in a series of biennial events, will facilitate discussions and presentations on promoting good governance within “a legislative framework that guides the operations of the local authorities, as well as provide tools that will aid in improving service delivery”.

“I expect great things from the first staging. I believe that through discussion and decisions over the next three days and beyond, this assembly of minds will bring lasting value to local government,” he said.

Areas for discussion are standardisation of the disaster management budget, standard operating procedures, emergency operation centre processes, health and welfare matters, among others.

“My focus on local government has been to bring change to the operations of the Ministry. In this way, the local government system can truly make its full mark on the lives of Jamaicans in areas of disaster management and mitigation,” Minister McKenzie said.

CARTAGENA, Colombia:Honourable Desmond McKenzie says Jamaica is committed to realizing its disaster risk reduction targets.