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Local Government Structure &
History
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Jamaica achieved independence in 1962, signing the Constitution
Order in Council of 1962. The political system is similar to that of
Britain’s parliamentary system. The monarch of the United Kingdom
is titular Head of state, and the Legislature is a bicameral
parliament consisting of a House of Representatives with 60 members,
and a Senate with 21 members.
A second tier of governance are the local authorities. This local
government system is divided into 14 parishes, with two parishes,
Kingston and St Andrew, amalgamated and administered by the Kingston
and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC). Local affairs are administered by
individual Parish Councils whose members are elected. The island’s
60 constituencies are subdivided into 275 electoral divisions, each
of which is represented by a Parish Councilor for Local Government.
The Chairpersons of the Councils are the Mayors of those parish
capitals that enjoy mayoral status; Montego Bay is one of these.
Local Government was introduced in Jamaica around 1664, just a few
years after the British capture of Jamaica in 1655.
The early form of Local Government was called the Vestry system,
patterned after the form of Local Government that existed in England
at the time. This name came about because a body called the Vestry
governed local authorities. The Vestry of each parish was drawn from
the Lay Magistrates and the Clergy of the particular parish. These
Vestries supported the Clergy, maintained the churches, offered
relief to the poor, maintained the few roads which existed at the
time, and maintained public order.
The Vestries operated in the interest and for the benefit of the
planter class. By the 1850s their rule had become corrupt and
inefficient. The system was abolished in 1866 following the Morant
Bay Rebellion. It had lasted for 200 years.
It was replaced by a system of Municipal and Road Boards, whose
membership was nominated by the Governor. The major changes, which
took place in the Vestry system, concerned the number of parishes.
In 1664 when the system was first introduced, there were seven
parishes. By the time the system was abolished this number had
increased to a total of 22. Law 22 of 1867 reduced the number of
parishes to 14.
Elected representation was restored to Local Government in 1886
with the creation of Parochial Boards, which combined the functions
of the Municipal Boards and the Road Boards. During the twenty-year
period between the abolition of the Vestries and the establishment
of the Parochial Boards, there was a significant increase in the
responsibilities of Local Government. Some of the functions that
were extended to Local Authorities at that time were: Public Health
in 1867; Public Markets in 1874; Fire Services in 1875; and Water
Supplies in 1875. Later, Abattoirs, Building Regulations, Public
Beaches, Sanitation and Public Cleansing and Street Lighting were
added.
The parish structure created by Law 20 of 1867, the extension of
functions during the period 1866-86, and the creation of parochial
boards in 1886, all created the modern Local Government system that
exists today.
Some significant developments have taken place in the system over
the last 100 years. These are:
- 1923 – the Kingston City Council and St Andrew Parochial
Board were amalgamated to form the Kingston and St Andrew
Corporation (KSAC).
- 1901 – Port Royal was re-established as a parish. It was
re-absorbed by KSAC in 1946.
- 1947 – Universal Adult Suffrage was extended to Local
Government. The term of office of the Mayors, Deputy Mayors,
Chairmen, Deputy Chairmen was extended from one year to run with
the life of the Council.
- 1956 – The Municipal and Parish Councils Services
Commissions and a Unified Service for the 12 Parish Councils
were established.
Source: www.jis.gov.jm/information/government/htm
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Legal Status of the Local Authorities
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Chapter 271 of the Parish Councils Act provides legal status to
the existence of Councils and states qualifications for election to
holding office in the Local Government. Specific laws enacted by the
national Parliament create local Councils.
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