Local Government reform has been on the national agenda for years, seeing the numerous governments proposing several frameworks from regionalism to bottom up models. Some of the proponents however contradict the purpose of local governance systems. The systems used in Jamaica are that of Local authorities (commonly known as Parish Councils in the case of Portmore-Municipal Councils) for which fourteen (14) exists.

This paper proposes to assess the local governance system in Jamaica and its impact on viability and sustainability of Municipalities. Several models pertaining to local governance structures looking at human resources, strategic planning, financing and decision-making process for those variables whether they have direct or indirect impact will be examined. A case study will be analysed specifically, the Portmore Municipal model being the first of its kind in Jamaica drawing broad comparisons against other existing Local Authorities/Parish Councils as well as other countries that utilise either a similar model and/or has a model that could inform the locally adopted model. This would then guide the discussion and interviews with various managers and policy makers to gather their opinion relating to sustainability of municipal government systems.

The University of the West Indies
Mona, Jamaica
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