Local govt executive power must be real

An analysis of local government initiatives from independence to the present will demonstrate clearly that significant reforms in terms of satisfying the provision of basic amenities have not taken place in the past.

We were told, based on the 1990 local government reform, that our local government bodies were going to function as corporate entities and a businesslike approach was going to predominate in the delivery of local service. But alas the anticipated frame-breaking changes to local government operation did not materialise and, as the French proverb says, “the more things change the more they stay the same”.

The truth is if a local citizen had emigrated before 1990 and returned today and visited municipal corporations for local services, they would not see any major improvement in their operations. The fundamental defects of local government bodies are still very obvious today. The name change from county council to corporation did not bring efficiency, effectiveness and accountability.

I live in a developed area of our country and many times I have to patch potholes in front of my home with cement because it takes months for the corporation to do it. There is an abandoned lot at the side of my home and I have to cut the grass on it or pay for it to be cut because it is a health hazard. The corporation just does not have the resources to respond promptly.

The local government system is not provided with the necessary support to actualise the expectations of the last reform. Many explanations have been offered to as why so little was achieved with the 1990 reform, the common ones being lack of political will and administrative support.

So today our corporations are required to discharge a number of functions which ware enumerated in the Municipal Corporation Act No 21, 1990. But they cannot deliver them to the population. The reasons for poor delivery relate to some problems which have been existing since the county council era and include: Inadequate number of appropriate staff; unavailability of basic necessary equipment; lack of real control over their personnel; lack of respect from central government agencies; unavailability of lucrative local taxes to generate much needed revenue; lack of clearly demarcated roles between central and local government; low-level functions; no constitutional safeguards; antiquated management practices; inadequate technological support.

Clearly, the negative multiple effects of the above have caused a number of people to question the relevance of local government in Trinidad and have contributed to people visiting central government agencies for assistance on matters that really are within the remit of local government.

Predicated on the above, I am saying by all means give our local government executive power but let us ensure that it is an executive power that is real and far-reaching and not one that is symbolic.

For this executive power to impact positively, our corporation must have resources and operational power to deliver its mandate. These include: A guaranteed quota of funding based on parameters including demographics, physical condition, development classification and size of municipality; control of its personnel; provision of lucrative taxes; a fixed demarcation of local and central functions; respect by central government agencies (eg corporations are embarrassed by suddenly seeing a “no entry” sign on its roads or employees from other ministries working on its infrastructure without any discussion); enhanced functions (once provided with appropriate resources, corporations would be capable of managing more than cemeteries, markets, roads, and recreation grounds).

In summary, by all means give the corporation executive power but that power must be not only de jure, but it must be de facto and supported by accompanying resources to make it meaningful. Let us learn from the mistakes of previous reforms. Let us ensure the politics and administrative wills are there to make this new reform initiative sustainable enough to ensure effective and efficient delivery of local government services in Trinidad.

Our Prime Minister must ensure that the local government team entrusted with this initiative provides Trinidad with a local government system which is capable of delivering satisfactory services to burgesses.