Local governments play vital role in public service delivery

Local governments play a critical role in the efficient delivery of public services, effective regulation and protection of citizens, and the sustainable improvement of the quality of life. This point was made by Jamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding at the Caribbean Regional Local Governance Conference and Consultation in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on 29 May 2008.

The event was attended by 180 local government representatives from across the Caribbean, including ministers, mayors and senior administrators, as part of week-long activities from 26 to 30 May organised by the Caribbean Forum of Local Government Ministers and co-sponsored by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation and the Canadian International Development Agency.

John Wilkins, Public Sector Management Adviser at the Commonwealth Secretariat, said politicians and public servants can be the champions of change in the public sector to improve service delivery and help the neediest in society.

“Poverty alleviation and sustainable development depend on placing the people most affected at the centre of decision-making and service delivery,” explained Mr Wilkins. “This happens every day at the local level of government, which is closest to the people.”

He added that the training workshop on ‘Enhancing Local Government Administration for Good Governance’ that preceded the Conference on 26-28 May enabled Caribbean member countries to learn from each other and to share good practices as they work together to improve local governance.

Forty-two senior local government administrators from eight Caribbean countries and territories attended the workshop. They included representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos Islands.

The week concluded on 30 May with a meeting of the Caribbean Forum of Local Government Ministers.

Key Links:

• Governance
• Country Profile: Jamaica