Peart

Minister of Local Government and Environment, Dean Peart, has expressed the government's determination to empower parish councils, by providing them with necessary staff and equipment to function effectively.

"We want to give them more staff, to equip them at a higher level, and to genuinely work with them ... but they have to understand that with the empowerment comes more scrutiny, more transparency," he told JIS News at a recent reception at Eden Gardens in Kingston for a delegation from the Scottish Local Government Authorities (COSLA).

Mr. Peart also noted the state's commitment to the process of local government reform, noting that a Parliamentary Committee had been convened, which will deliberate on the recommendations of the National Advisory Council (NAC) report on the reform process, as soon as consultations on the report were completed and a final document was submitted by the NAC.

With regard to the visit of the delegation from COSLA, the minister said, "I welcome anybody coming here for us to enter into genuine dialogue as to what they are doing, as we need to move local government."

The Scottish delegation visited the island from February 12-17, in support of their local counterpart, the Association of Local Government Authorities of Jamaica (ALGAJ). The main objective was for both groups to share best practices as it relates to the operation of local government in both precincts. During their stay, the group, led by President, Pat Watters, met with ALGA, the NAC, the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation, among other local government interests.