For several years now, there has been a seemingly unending process of Local Government Reform in Jamaica, which has been threatening to increase the autonomy of the Local Authorities (Parish Councils and the KSAC) but this has begged the critical question: Increased autonomy to achieve what? Indeed, the threats have become more insistent if not bellicose with the spirited leadership of Minister Robert Montague, Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government. However, any review of the performance of the local authorities over the past decades in Jamaica will reveal a history of incompetence and corruption coupled with an overly bureaucratic framework which tends to impede rather than facilitate effective local governance.
Minor Road Maintenance and Drain Cleaning
This has been one of the most controversial areas in recent times for the Local Authorities (Parish Councils and the KSAC) and points to an inherently inefficient system highlighted by an improper maintenance regimen applicable to both roads and drains. Indeed, the fact that both the National Works Agency (NWA) and the Parish Councils have separate sources of funding and in fact are supervised by separate ministries points to the possibility of redundancy and therefore gross inefficiency. Further there are issues with the quality of work being done particularly under Parish Council contracts which points to poor project management. Further there is significant disparity in terms of the expertise and equipment available to the Parish Councils versus the NWA. Indeed in terms of drain cleaning, the KSAC advises that they are only able to clean drains at the manhole, whereas the NWA has equipment capable of cleaning entire drains and gullies. This entire scenario is compounded by persistent inter-agency squabbling and finger pointing by both the NWA and the Local Authorities and speaks to the need for a single body to assume responsibility for the maintenance and rehabilitation of roads and drains. This single entity would need to be adequately funded but also have the technical expertise to offer credible project management. Based on their track record to date, there can be no basis for utilizing the Local Authority as the vehicle for the oversight of a single road authority.
Zoning and Development Approval Environment
There is need for a comprehensive investigation, inclusive of full forensic audit into the building approval and enforcement processes in Jamaica. This after the latest misstep regarding a major hotel construction site in St James where reportedly but inexplicably a previously unauthorized fourth floor construction received surreptitious approval from a senior member of the local authority but without the formal knowledge and approval of the St James Parish Council and the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA). Further, the amended approvals were found in the Parish Council files where it may well have remained buried, if the issues at hand did not involve a glaring issue of public safety.
Indeed, examples of questionable approvals and enforcement has spanned decades and affects all parishes. In the case of the Golden Triangle and the residential sections of New Kingston, there are several examples of construction projects being given approval to construct for example studio apartments, only to have them later converted to one and two bedroom apartments. There has been illegal construction of basements and the state stipulations about setbacks, reserved green space and plot ratios remain largely academic. However in each case there would have to be a multi-agency review of plans coupled with site inspections bolstered by Surveyors and Architects reports coupled with the interventions of other industry professionals, so it remains inconceivable that obvious breaches would remain undetected. Indeed so pervasive has been this activity that the Trafalgar Council has on the basis of the Planning and Development manual published in 2007 by NEPA, declared “Most New Construction in Golden Triangle is Illegal”.
This is equally evidenced in other parts of the Corporate Area with multi-storey dwellings and commercial buildings being constructed with absolutely no setback and yet were only detected when construction was either completed or near completion. To make matters worse those projects were constructed in the midst of busy thoroughfares teaming with motor vehicles and pedestrians on a daily basis, who recognized the breaches, yet the regulatory bodies claimed to be oblivious until it was functionally and conveniently too late. Equally in terms of enforcement, several blatant breaches have been reported over periods of time spanning decades with minimal to no action being taken. While cognizance is taken of a lack of agency capacity, the inordinate delays in investigation and the failure to follow-up raises serious issues about the integrity of the process. For example, the addresses of commercial buildings boasting large signage displays and operating on popular roadways in the midst of residential communities, suddenly cannot be located by personnel from regulatory agencies to serve enforcement notices or investigate breaches.
Similarly, in terms of several new constructions on the North Coast of Jamaica, setback ratios are routinely breached and issues such as sewerage disposal are so ineptly dealt with that questions regarding the process of oversight must be raised. Again the breaches are so glaring that it would be impossible for them not to be determined by the regulatory bodies.
Given that Local Authorities are supposed to perform a critical role in the process of oversight and are obviously incapable of honouring that mandate, there could be no justification for granting them increased autonomy in this area.
Street Lighting
Whereas funds have been expended to install street lighting infrastructure in most communities, a substantial number remain non-functional however there is no commensurate decline in the amount billed to the Local Authorities by the JPSCo. This points to the need for routine street lighting audits to ascertain that scarce resources are not being expended for services not provided. Further whereas cognizance is taken of the fact that in communities with a significant number of illegal connections this tends to reduce the illumination of street lighting, there is a suspicion that lower wattage bulbs are being supplied by the Local Authorities for use in urban centres not afflicted by illegal connections. Further, in peri-urban communities the placement of electricity poles seems to be a problem and in some cases only partial street lighting is available. Therefore whereas most communities have access to street lighting infrastructure the issue of whether such infrastructure is serving its purpose remains a contentious issue. However yet again this is another area in which the Local Authorities are supposed to provide the requisite levels of oversight but have failed miserably.
Similarly, the Local Authorities in the main have failed to establish meaningful avenues of interaction between other stakeholders and themselves leading to a virtual breakdown in communications in most part and a further loss of credibility for the Local Authorities. Indeed, on the vexed issue of building approvals, in most cases the Local Authorities deliberately exclude the wider citizenry from the process, preferring to adhere to an archaic process of management by committees, which membership boasts no particular expertise relevant to the issues at hand and usually with disastrous results. Equally in terms of the wider issues of community development, the stewardship of the Local Authorities have been found in the main to be wanting. Therefore the question for the Local Authorities and now Minister Montague remains “Increased autonomy to do what?”
Minor Road Maintenance and Drain Cleaning
This has been one of the most controversial areas in recent times for the Local Authorities (Parish Councils and the KSAC) and points to an inherently inefficient system highlighted by an improper maintenance regimen applicable to both roads and drains. Indeed, the fact that both the National Works Agency (NWA) and the Parish Councils have separate sources of funding and in fact are supervised by separate ministries points to the possibility of redundancy and therefore gross inefficiency. Further there are issues with the quality of work being done particularly under Parish Council contracts which points to poor project management. Further there is significant disparity in terms of the expertise and equipment available to the Parish Councils versus the NWA. Indeed in terms of drain cleaning, the KSAC advises that they are only able to clean drains at the manhole, whereas the NWA has equipment capable of cleaning entire drains and gullies. This entire scenario is compounded by persistent inter-agency squabbling and finger pointing by both the NWA and the Local Authorities and speaks to the need for a single body to assume responsibility for the maintenance and rehabilitation of roads and drains. This single entity would need to be adequately funded but also have the technical expertise to offer credible project management. Based on their track record to date, there can be no basis for utilizing the Local Authority as the vehicle for the oversight of a single road authority.
Zoning and Development Approval Environment
There is need for a comprehensive investigation, inclusive of full forensic audit into the building approval and enforcement processes in Jamaica. This after the latest misstep regarding a major hotel construction site in St James where reportedly but inexplicably a previously unauthorized fourth floor construction received surreptitious approval from a senior member of the local authority but without the formal knowledge and approval of the St James Parish Council and the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA). Further, the amended approvals were found in the Parish Council files where it may well have remained buried, if the issues at hand did not involve a glaring issue of public safety.
Indeed, examples of questionable approvals and enforcement has spanned decades and affects all parishes. In the case of the Golden Triangle and the residential sections of New Kingston, there are several examples of construction projects being given approval to construct for example studio apartments, only to have them later converted to one and two bedroom apartments. There has been illegal construction of basements and the state stipulations about setbacks, reserved green space and plot ratios remain largely academic. However in each case there would have to be a multi-agency review of plans coupled with site inspections bolstered by Surveyors and Architects reports coupled with the interventions of other industry professionals, so it remains inconceivable that obvious breaches would remain undetected. Indeed so pervasive has been this activity that the Trafalgar Council has on the basis of the Planning and Development manual published in 2007 by NEPA, declared “Most New Construction in Golden Triangle is Illegal”.
This is equally evidenced in other parts of the Corporate Area with multi-storey dwellings and commercial buildings being constructed with absolutely no setback and yet were only detected when construction was either completed or near completion. To make matters worse those projects were constructed in the midst of busy thoroughfares teaming with motor vehicles and pedestrians on a daily basis, who recognized the breaches, yet the regulatory bodies claimed to be oblivious until it was functionally and conveniently too late. Equally in terms of enforcement, several blatant breaches have been reported over periods of time spanning decades with minimal to no action being taken. While cognizance is taken of a lack of agency capacity, the inordinate delays in investigation and the failure to follow-up raises serious issues about the integrity of the process. For example, the addresses of commercial buildings boasting large signage displays and operating on popular roadways in the midst of residential communities, suddenly cannot be located by personnel from regulatory agencies to serve enforcement notices or investigate breaches.
Similarly, in terms of several new constructions on the North Coast of Jamaica, setback ratios are routinely breached and issues such as sewerage disposal are so ineptly dealt with that questions regarding the process of oversight must be raised. Again the breaches are so glaring that it would be impossible for them not to be determined by the regulatory bodies.
Given that Local Authorities are supposed to perform a critical role in the process of oversight and are obviously incapable of honouring that mandate, there could be no justification for granting them increased autonomy in this area.
Street Lighting
Whereas funds have been expended to install street lighting infrastructure in most communities, a substantial number remain non-functional however there is no commensurate decline in the amount billed to the Local Authorities by the JPSCo. This points to the need for routine street lighting audits to ascertain that scarce resources are not being expended for services not provided. Further whereas cognizance is taken of the fact that in communities with a significant number of illegal connections this tends to reduce the illumination of street lighting, there is a suspicion that lower wattage bulbs are being supplied by the Local Authorities for use in urban centres not afflicted by illegal connections. Further, in peri-urban communities the placement of electricity poles seems to be a problem and in some cases only partial street lighting is available. Therefore whereas most communities have access to street lighting infrastructure the issue of whether such infrastructure is serving its purpose remains a contentious issue. However yet again this is another area in which the Local Authorities are supposed to provide the requisite levels of oversight but have failed miserably.
Similarly, the Local Authorities in the main have failed to establish meaningful avenues of interaction between other stakeholders and themselves leading to a virtual breakdown in communications in most part and a further loss of credibility for the Local Authorities. Indeed, on the vexed issue of building approvals, in most cases the Local Authorities deliberately exclude the wider citizenry from the process, preferring to adhere to an archaic process of management by committees, which membership boasts no particular expertise relevant to the issues at hand and usually with disastrous results. Equally in terms of the wider issues of community development, the stewardship of the Local Authorities have been found in the main to be wanting. Therefore the question for the Local Authorities and now Minister Montague remains “Increased autonomy to do what?”
3 comments:
I have been wondering the same thing myself. The so-called Local Government system in Jamaica is merely another mechanism to facilitate the dispensation of political largesse. Giving them more power will only entrench the graft and corruption even further. the KSAC and the rest of them constitute a waste of taxpayers money.
The system of Local Government in Jamaica is an absolute disgrace and needs to be scrapped. Right now its just another avenue for political handouts.
They require increased autonomy to complete the destruction of the urban areas in Jamaica! Actually I am one of those persons who believe that the Parish Councils should be scrapped. Isn't it amazing that so much power is reposed in these people who for the most part are semi-literate and have no qualifications that are even remotely relevant to the tasks at hand? In Kingston we have a Mayor who is more in love with his public persona than in actually doing any real work. I am sick of the posing and posturing and really question the use of these councils. For those years when the Parish Councils were not particularly active, Jamaica thrived and in fact people were accountable. Nowadays, the Councils are operated by committee and nobody is accountable. They continue to claim that they are underfunded but what have they done with the resources allocated to them? Perhaps some are fooled by the rhetoric but I for one am not. The Parish Councils should be scrapped and the responsibility placed in the hands of central government.
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