In swift response to media reports citing cases of improprieties and breaches of the government guidelines mentioned in the Auditor General’s report for last year, Minister of Local Government and Community Development the Hon. Noel Arscott, has summoned the management of the affected parish councils to a meeting at the Ministry on Wednesday morning.

The six (6) councils are being requested to take along with them supporting documentation and provide the Minister with the appropriate responses to the incidents identified in the Auditor General’s Annual Report of 2010-2011.

“We heartily welcome the Auditor General’s Annual Report and have taken keen note of its contents involving the councils mentioned. We will now seek to meet with the parish council heads as well as our internal auditors and financial team to pore over the report and assess each incident on a case-by-case basis,” he said.

Since the tabling of the Report, the parish councils were requested on January 24, to provide a response to the incidents cited in the Report and attend a review meeting with a technical team at the Ministry.

The Minister was consulting with members of his internal team today following media reports and the negative implications for the parish councils and the KSAC which have been cited for systemic weaknesses in adherence to stipulated legislations and guidelines.

“We certainly, will leave no stones unturned in getting to the heart of the anomalies highlighted in the report as it strikes a blow at the very foundation of the chief pillars of the local government reform process – accountability, transparency and fiduciary prudence,” Minister Arscott said.

He also noted that as stewards of the nation’s resources, the Ministry has a responsibility to ensure that the highest principles of fiduciary prudence are upheld on behalf of the citizens of this country.

Arising from today’s meeting, the following strategies and measures were identified to address the situation:

(i)                 increase the frequency of fixed and random audits

(ii)               apply sanctions for the non-adherence to proper accountability processes

(iii)             conduct a general assessment and review of the current monitoring mechanism employed by the ministry

(iv)             strengthen and bolster the audit unit within the ministry

The Minister will also be embarking on a series of familiarization visits to the councils in the coming weeks as well as use the opportunity to deepen the dialogue on the issues and the way forward in preventing recurrences.

Whilst he was not a member of the Council at the time of his passing, Mr Gayle’s service to the Council as representative of the Seaforth Division in Western St Thomas and Mayor of Morant Bay from 1976 to 1980, secured for him permanent membership of the local government family and I am sure, in the hearts of his constituents with whom he worked closely.

On behalf of the staff of Ministry of Local Government & Community Development and the local government fraternity I extend sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. My prayers are with you all as you go through this difficult period.

The Ministry of Local Government & Community Development notes with regret the passing of the late Councillor Fitz Albert Christie of the Trelawny Parish Council.

Councillor Christie served the council as, the local representative of the Ulster Spring Division for nine (9) years, Chairman of the Finance Committee and was Deputy Mayor of Falmouth from 2003 to 2007. A very sober individual, it is said that whenever Councillor Christie spoke you knew he meant business; the Trelwany Parish Council and indeed the local government fraternity has lost a valuable asset.

I want to use this opportunity to extend deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues and wish for them God’s guidance in this time of bereavement taking comfort in the words of the good book which says, ‘Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal’.

Noel Arscott MP

Minister

Minster of Local Government & Community Development Hon. Noel Arscott has appointed Rupert Pryce as temporary head of the National Solid Waste Management Authority effective today, January 12, 2012. The Announcement was made this afternoon at a press briefing at the Minister’s office.

Mr Pryce’s background is in economics and finance, he is former director of the Parochial Revenue Fund which is the main source of revenue for the Local Authorities.

The Minister has also announced that he has received the resignation of the Chairman and board of the NSWMA. The interim Executive Director will manage the authority until a new board is appointed.

The appointment of the Executive Director is the responsibility of the board of directors.

The City of Kingston got is 52^nd Mayor when Councillor Lee Clarke was sworn in yesterday, Tuesday January 10, 2012.

Mayor Clarke who is the councillor for the White Hall division brings to the position years of experience; he has been councillor since 1981 and has served as Deputy Mayor in the Kingston & St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) for the past 8 years.   Mayor Clarke was instrumental in the writing of the Councillor’s Handbook, the completion of the final report of the National Advisory Committee (NAC) on Local Government Reform as well as the development of the Corporation’s 25-year development plan.

Making his inaugural address, Mayor Clarke said that he would continue much of the work that was started by his predecessor. “I do not come to office intending to re-invent the wheel” he said, adding that he could not solve all the problems but would focus on addressing as many as possible and that he was looking forward to the co-operation of all the councilors to make the KSAC stronger and better.

The Mayor made clear however, that he would be seeking to implement some of his own ideas namely, one which he first voiced back in 2008, a city lottery. Clarke said then that it had the potential to create more than 7,000 jobs directly and indirectly and earn some $1 billion in the first year.  He wanted the idea back on the table because the council faces serious funding problems that have hampered its ability to efficiently carryout its responsibilities particularly as it relates to the numerous roads, drains and gullies within the corporate area.

In addition, Clarke said he plans to push for the implementation of local government reform and appealed to former Mayor Desmond McKenzie and newly installed Minister of Local Government & Community Development, Hon Noel Arscott, to give their full support as members of the House of Representatives.

In his response Minister Arscott congratulated the new mayor and assured him that his administration was committed to the reform process “… and will be working assiduously to ensure that we get that done,” .

The KSAC was holding its first regularly scheduled meeting since the December 29^th  general elections in which former Mayor Desmond McKenzie was elected as MP for Western Kingston. The corporation also selected a new Deputy Mayor, Councillor Vernon McLeod who represents the Havendale Division.

An educator by training and businessman by vocation Colin Fagan entered history as the first deputy mayor of Portmore when it became a municipality in 2003. The 55-year-old climbed the political ladder from being councillor (for the Edgewater division in Portmore) to Member of Parliament.  He  replaced Dr. Paul Robertson as the PNP’s for candiate South East St. Catherine in 2007 and defeated the JLP’s Arthur Williams by 305 votes.

Prior to entering political life Minister Fagan worked for many years with the Social Development Commission (SDC).  He has served as chairman of the Portmore City Council, treasurer/manager for the Jamaica Welfare Co-operative Credit Union and regional vice-president for Jaycees of Jamaica. He has also worked with the National Youth Service.

Minister Fagan who grew up in Manchester attended Holmwood Technical High.  He later studied at the West Virginia University of Technology, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Vocational Education. He has also received training in municipal management in Korea, has studied in Israel, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in community development and psychology.

Minister Fagan is married and has two children.

Deputy Mayors Lee Clarke and Owen Palmer are set to assume the positions of Mayors of Kingston and Spanish Town respectively. The positions became vacant when the incumbent Mayor of Kingston, Senator Desmond McKenzie was elected as MP for Western Kingston and Mayor of Spanish Town, Dr. Andrew Wheatley was elected as MP for the St Catherine South Central seat, in the December 29th general elections.

The deputy mayors are to be sworn in as new mayors in accordance with the provisions of the Parish Councils Act and the Kingston & St Andrew Corporation (KASC) Act, which allows for the ‘promotion’ of the deputy mayor in the event that the mayor demits office for whatever reason prior to a local government election. The Council will then have to select a new deputy mayor.

The general elections actually left the St Catherine Parish Council with two vacant seats as Denise Daley, Councillor of the Linstead division, was elected as MP for East St Catherine.

The Hon. Shahine Robinson, Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Housing, Environment, Water and Local Government with responsibility for local government is this evening assuring firefighters housed at a temporary facility in Montego Bay that every effort is being made to alleviate their working condition as quickly as possible.

The Minister, in swift response to a media report on the plight of the living and operational conditions of the men and women in the Western region has mandated the technical services unit within the ministry to conduct a technical audit of the fire station facility at the Freeport in Montego Bay, by tomorrow, Wednesday, November 23, 2011. In addition she has also announced that the sum of $14million has been earmarked in the interim to do minor remedial work to fire stations islandwide.

The technical audit is being undertaken to determine the better of two options for the fire fighters who are currently being housed in less than ideal condition at the existing location. The audit team is expected to determine whether the approximately 120 firefighters are to be relocated or the facility will be upgraded.

Meanwhile, the Minister will be meeting with the hierarchy of the Jamaica Fire Brigade including board members and senior members of the Department of Local Government to continue discussions on the way forward in looking at a comprehensive plan for the island’s fire stations.

The original headquarters for the St. James division at 34 Barnett Street in Montego Bay was demolished sometime ago to facilitate a new and modern facility slated to cost $200million dollars. However, due to budgetary constraints the plans have been put on hold, resulting in the firefighters being relocated at their current location at Freeport.