The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development acknowledges the report of the Office of the Contractor General in regards to the Special Statutory Investigation – concerning the building of shops at the Spalding Market. The Ministry, however, had conducted its own investigations and a report was completed in June 2013. The Ministry took the informed decision to delay the publication of its findings, so as to not, in any way, interfere with the investigations of the Contractor General. Though thorough in its investigations, the Ministry did not have access to some files as these were already requisitioned by and in the custody of the Contractor General. We duly want to note the areas of overlap between our own recommendations and those of the Contractor General.

These include:

1.      The Ministry’s investigation unearthed breaches and critical issues relating to governance, financial management and accountability. In this regard the recommendation is for all members of Council to be more vigilant, proactive and rigorous in their approach and attitude towards Council business.

2.      The employment of internal control measures to ensure full compliance with the guidelines and laws which currently exist in keeping with the Contractor General’s recommendation for the development of an accountability framework.

3.      Rigorous monitoring and inspections with the emphasis on increasing the frequency and intensity of special audits in the Local authority. Specifically, the Ministry has recommended a forensic audit of the Clarendon Parish Council while the Contractor General has referred the matter to the Auditor General to conduct a review of the operations of the Clarendon Parish Council.

4.      A more coordinated approach and plan in implementing projects which involve other agencies, programs and stakeholders including the citizens and Members of Parliament. Implicit in this would be recognition of the separation of the role of Council and the Member of Parliament.

5.      Observation of dereliction of duty on the part of officers of the Council.

Since completing the report, the Ministry has taken the following actions in an effort to efficiently implement the recommendations contained therein:

1.      The Ministry’s internal Audit Unit is currently undertaking a special audit in the Clarendon Parish Council.

2.      The matter has been referred to the Financial Investigations Division for a forensic audit to be conducted.

3.      We have taken steps to establish an audit network to review accounting and audit practices, and make recommendations to the Local Authorities.

4.      Identification and prioritization of accounting, audit and specialized technical services as shared services for implementation in the Local Authorities as is proposed in the policy governing the Strategic Laws.

5.      The report has also been formally referred to the Office of the Contractor General, the Parish Councils Services Commission, the Auditor General’s Department and the Attorney General’s Chambers.

The Ministry also takes note of the Office of the Contractor General’s additional recommendations and is working to implement such:

·         Recommendation for an accountability framework;

·         Disciplinary action against officers of the Clarendon Parish Council;

·         Recovery of the cost of electricity;

·         Review by the Auditor General of Financial Operations, Accounting Systems and practices of the Clarendon Parish Council.

With respect to the Referrals to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions we await the outcome.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark the 25^th anniversary of hurricane Gilbert, the Honourable

Noel Arscott Minister of Local Government & Community Development said proper building practises as well as heeding warnings are essential in mitigating hurricane damage.

 Recounting the devastating impact of Hurricane Gilbert on September 12, 1988, Minister Arscott said that while a combination of factors contributed to the extent of the damage suffered across the island, poor construction practises was a major cause. He cited the practise of building in unsafe areas, poorly constructed roofs and failure to get the required building approvals as issues of concern. “We have to ensure the structural integrity of our buildings”, he said charging Parish Councils to ramp up their efforts to get persons to adhere to the rules and regulations set out in the Building

Act.

Addressing the importance of disaster mitigation to economic prosperity the Local Government

Minister pointed to the work being done by the Ministry to strengthen this area. He said that the

amendments being made to the Building Act are now with the Chief Parliamentary Council and it is hoped that the Bill will be passed by March 2014. He also spoke to the Disaster Risk

Management Bill that is being pursued by the Ministry.

Hurricane Gilbert was the first hurricane to hit Jamaica directly since hurricane Charlie in 1951.

The Honourable Colin Fagan, Minister of State in the Ministry of Local Government & Community Development, left the island on Sunday, September 1^st, 2013 to attend two (2) international summits in China.

The State Minister received an official invitation from the government of China, to attend the 3^rd Global Economic Leaders’ Summit (GELS) 2013, in Changchun city, Jilin province from September 4- 6, 2013 and the 2^ND International Culture Industry Summit (ICIS 2013) in Lanzhou city, Gansu province from September 6 -8, 2013. Minister Fagan leads the charge to establish town centers across the island, and as such the Chinese Government saw it fit to have the Minister’s input at this year’s summit. The themes for the summits are ‘Worldwide development experience of urbanization & Global cooperation opportunities of China’s urbanization’ and ‘The inheritance, innovation and global cooperation of the Chinese civilization’, respectively. About 600 political figures, world business leaders from Fortune 500 & Forbes 2000 companies, industry leaders, investors and bankers, Ministers, MPs, Governors, Mayors, authorities and world-renowned economists & scholars from more than 80 countries are set to be present at the summit.

State Minister Fagan will be the Keynote speaker for one of the round table sessions set to take place on the second day of the first summit; he will make a presentation on Urbanization and International Investments. While in China the Minster is also expected to conduct a tour of the Fire Station in Changchun City and meet with the Provincial Chief where he will discuss matters of Local Economic Development (LED) and other matters concerning Local Government and Community Development. Minister Fagan is expected to return to the island on September 11, 2013.

The main community mobilization arm of the Ministry, the Social Development Commission (SDC), held a Development Area Committee (DAC) consultation in St Catherine on April 28, 2013 and Minister of State the Honourable Colin Fagan was on hand to deliver the main address.

Speaking to the community leaders the State Minister emphasized the importance of good public management as a component of good governance. In this respect he said that community leaders must understand the changing dynamics of their roles and make necessary changes in order to remain effective . “Leadership consultations such as these are vital tools to help you in directing, planning, controlling and leading those whom you serve at the community level”, he told participants.

He also lauded the SDC for their continued work in promoting community action and partnerships as an essential ingredient in the process of transforming local governance in Jamaica. “We can’t overemphasize the role of community development, partnership and consultation in the local government reform process” He said.

Minister of State Fagan went on to highlight strides made by the government in the local government revitalization process. He spoke about the strengthening of the Local Government Reform Unit, the move to give recognition to PDCs DACs CDC in the Local Governance Act and the completion of the review of Portmore Municipal Council.

He also mentioned some of the new initiatives of the Ministry including the Local Economic Development programme (LED) designed to stimulate economic activity in communities, and the parish safety and security programme which has made significant strides in developing the awareness of Parish partners in the area of crime prevention and security in the six pilot parishes, which includes St Catherine.

Fagan assured the St Catherine community leaders that more consultations would be done to fully engaging the participatory machinery that underpin the local government reform and revitalisation process. He also commended St. Catherine on the work its PDCs and DACs saying that ‘where some parishes lag behind you are a trailblazer’.

On Wednesday, August 28, 2013 Minister of State in the Ministry of Local Government & Community Development the Honourable Colin Fagan, opened temporary facilities for fire fighters from the Barnett Street fire station in Freeport Montego Bay, St James.

Minister of State Fagan in declaring the facilities opened explained that while the Ministry was seeking to build a permanent structure at the Barnett Street location there could be no delay in finding a suitable location from which to operate a fire station for the city of Montego Bay. “After visiting the facilities last year, I immediately decided to organize a task force that would aid in finding solutions to the problems that persisted for many years” he pronounced.

The solution which the team came up with comprises two (2) retrofitted forty (40) foot containers that have been equipped with all the equipment and comfort that the servicemen and women need in order to perform their vital functions effectively.

While the State Minister could not give a commitment as to the date when the permanent structure would be ready he reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to upgrading the island’s fire stations incrementally. He pointed to work that was recently done at the Port Royal Fire station – The removal of their asbestos contaminated roof-, as well as, the Trench Town fire station. He added that pans are in place for work to commence on the Savanna La Mar fire station shortly.  He implored the firefighters not to be daunted the by challenges they face, but instead be encouraged and continue to provide the excellent service that they have been providing us with for so many years.

Minister Noel Arscott was on hand as the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) launched its Love Clean Street Application at the Mandela Park in Kingston on Tuesday August 27, 2013.

Speaking at the function Minister Arscott congratulates the KSAC on the keen interest they were taking in the environment as demonstrated by their use of technology to aid in their bid to have cleaner streets in the capital city. The love clean street appis a free smartphone application and website that allows people anywhere in the world to report environmental issues to their local authority. The report can be made in less than forty seconds.

The Local Government Minister highlighted the fact that the success of the venture is dependent our citizens. “I therefore, want to encourage citizens of this beautiful island to be vigilant in reporting environmental issues and work closely with your local authorities to help resolve these issues as quickly as possible” he said.

The issue that can be reported using the Love Clean Street Application are; graffiti, fly-tipping, fly posting, pot holes, broken paving slabs and abandoned vehicles.

The use of the application should benefit everyone; local authorities should see a reduction in cost of casework associated with the Love Clean Streets application, which will generate a healthy return on investment. For everyone else, the benefit is simply a better, cleaner place to live and work.

Minister Arscott closed his presentation by stating that he was excited about the prospects of the application and encouraging everyone to make use of it.

In declaring the Lincoln Avenue Road open, Minister of Local Government & Community Development, the Honourable Noel Arscott told citizens that work done was made possible by citizens honouring their property tax obligations.

 The Lincoln Avenue Road in May Pen, Clarendon was opened on Tuesday, August 20, 2013 with a small group of residents gathered to witness the occasion.   The 500m of roadway which has been in disrepair for several years was rehabilitated by the Clarendon Parish Council at a cost of $2m. Chairman of the Clarendon Parish Council Mayor Scean Barnswell,  said that the repairs came about as a result of a new approach being taken by the Council in which $2m is allocated for repairs to a road in each division and selection of the road way is done by way of a priority listing.

In pointing out the number of roadways that have been repaired by the council over the past year and a half Mayor Barsnwell gave the assurance that Ministry allocations to the Council were being well spent. “Let me say to the Minister and his team, that with the monies sent to the parish from the PRF, (Parochial Revenue Fund) we ensure that the people of the parish has seen results; value for money”, he said.

In his response Minister Arscott congratulated the Council on a job well done and told the gathering of the Ministry’s intention to address infrastructural issues islandwide, despite budgetary limitations. He pointed out that a vast majority of the country’s roadways are Parish Council roads nevertheless he said, “We are trying to use creative means to see how best we can upgrade the roads for our citizens”.

 Minister Arscott was also in St. Thomas on August 22, 2013, where he toured a number of roadways and praised the work that was done on a bridge in Hamstead.

On Friday, August 16, 2013 Minister on Local Government and Community Development, Honourable Noel Arscott toured a number of parochial roads in the Parish of Westmoreland.

The Minister was accompanied by a technical team from the Ministry along with the Executive Director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA). The tour was concentrated in the Grange Hill Division ending in King’s Valley were the team inspected the work being done on that road.  Along the way the Minister and his team look at several road ways, drains, community centres and other areas of concern to the citizens.

During his address to persons on site in the different communities Minister Arscott gave the commitment that the Ministry’s Technical team would examine ways of addressing  the issues relating to the flooding of the Peggy Barry, Kings Valley and Herring Peak playfields  and community centres, as well as, the Church Lincoln Road.

The tour was organized by the Westmoreland Parish Council and led by Councillor for the Grange Hill Division Mr. McKenzie. Minister Arscott continues his road tours in Clarendon on August 21^st and St Thomas on the 22^nd.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the Community Renewal Programme’s mass Consultation Forum held at the Jamaica Conference Centre on Wednesday, August 14, 2013, Minister Noel Arscott applauded the consultative approach being taken to the implementation of the programme.

The Local Government Minister congratulated the implementing partners, PIOJ and SDC, for spearheading the stakeholders’ consultation; adding that the PIOJ should be  commended for taking bold steps in developing programs that will render assistance to communities that are often neglected because they are seen as ‘violent and beyond help’.

The Community Renewal Programme (CRP) he said must be seen as a game-changer as it has been conceptualized on the premise that security, justice and community economic well-being are pre-requisites for the sustainable development of Jamaica’s communities and for the country as a whole. The Community Renewal Project targets 100 of the most volatile and vulnerable communities in five parishes. The CPR seeks to empower residents to achieve their fullest potential and contribute to the attainment of a secure, cohesive and just Jamaican society as outlined in Goals 1 and 2 of Vision 2030 Jamaica by providing a coordinating framework for the implementation of a holistic range of interventions.

The consultation marked the beginning of the implementation process for phase 1 of the programme which is currently being piloted the Majesty Gardens community. Participants in the forum included Parliamentarians, Local Government Representatives and most importantly community members. The meeting sought to elicit feedback and to assess community assets as well as your needs and priorities.

Pointing to the important role played by the Social Development Commission, an agency of the Ministry of Local Government & Community Development, Minister Arscott promised the continued commitment of the Ministry to facilitating the implementation of the CRP.  “I pledge the Ministry’s support to monitor the implementation and provide the necessary policy support as needed” he said.

He also committed to playing a leading role in the development of the Kingston Lifestyle Centre which will be a catalyst for the redevelopment of downtown Kingston and its surrounding communities.

The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development wishes to advise the public that the Street Light Hotline has been established effective since July 1, 2013. The Honorable Minister, Noel Arscott announced in Parliament on June 10, 2013 that his Ministry would establish a hotline for the public to call and report non-functioning or mal-functioning street lights.

Information gathered by the street light audit team, suggests that The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development is making payments for lights that are not functional and as such we are now working more closely with the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) to ensure concurrence between the number of operational streetlights and the amounts being paid for. Once the report is taken by the hotline operator, it is then compiled and sent to the Jamaica Public Service Company, who should effect repairs to these street lights within fourteen (14) days.

The hotline has been in existence for less than three weeks and the line has already been flooded with calls of complaints and as well as commendations. Citizens who wish to report defective street lights should call 1-888-991-4617 and provide the operator with the pole number, pole location and the duration for which the street light has been defective.