Nassau, Bahamas:  The 19-member committee appointed to present legislative and policy changes for consideration towards the Local Government Act and Manual of Local Government Act procedures submitted their findings to Minister responsible for Local Government Hon. Clay Sweeting this week.

During a brief handover meeting, Minister Sweeting said it was part of the Davis administration’s “Blueprint for Change” that the government would increase budgets for local government over a five-year period and develop strategic plans for each island.

“Upon taking the chair, the prime minister gave this ministry and myself a mandate to bring real, tangible change within Local Government. Being a former Local Government practitioner along with Parliamentary Secretary Leonardo Lightbourne and others on this committee, we have been in the trenches and so what makes this so important is that we understand the needs and what Local Government needs to take that next step to really be transformative in this country,” he said.

“We’ve heard many cries from the people in the Family Islands amongst administrators and chief counsellors about the change that needs to happen. And so, I am excited about receiving this document and about bringing a transformative change to Local Government and how we operate. I think it is important for us as a nation that we be progressive and make the changes necessary to do so.” 

After traveling through each island, the committee consulted with Family Islanders to help to develop the report.

Chairman of the Committee Reverend Dr. Preston Cunningham said since its inception in 1996, very little change in procedures has occurred in Local Government. He said the document presented by the committee seeks to change that.

“We had real good committee members that were willing to work. We would have visited all the Family Islands. The real message in this must be that the Bahamian people whom these changes would affect must be consulted and so we did all we could to ensure that Bahamians in the Family Islands were fully consulted. You have the good support of Family Islands in what we have presented,” he said. 

Acting Director of Local Government Neil Campbell, who spearheaded the effort said the goal was to provide a robust document for consideration.

“It was an all-inclusive approach with local government practitioners past and present and Family Island communities. As Acting Director, it was carefully mapped out before receiving approval of the Minister for its initiation. Local Government is something that I love, and it was my expressed desire to at least see this through. Our cause is to ensure that Local Government lives up to our coined phrase ‘a government nearest to the people,” he said.

Once Minister Sweeting completes his review of the documents, he will work along with consultants and the Attorney General’s Office to draft proposed amendments to the Local Government Act.

Minister responsible for Local Government Clay Sweeting receives report from Local Government Committee. Pictured from left: Renee Farquharson, liason of the Attorney General's Office, Permanent Secretary David Cates, Under Secretary Bridget Hepburn, Acting Director of Local Government, Reverend Dr. Preston Cunningham, Minister Sweeting, and Parliamentary Secretary Leonardo Lightbourne.  

(Photo/MOAMRFIA)