MoBay mayor pushes for greater local gov’t powers

WESTERN BUREAU:

Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon is calling for a significant strengthening of local government, including greater fiscal decentralisation and enhanced planning powers, as the city grapples with rising demand for affordable housing, insecure land tenure, flooding, and inadequate infrastructure.

Vernon made the appeal days before delivering his first public budget presentation as mayor at the inaugural City Hall Municipal Budget Presentation, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. today at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre in Sam Sharpe Square. The initiative is intended to make the municipal budget more accessible, improve public understanding of how municipal funds are spent, and fulfil the requirements of the Local Governance Act.

Vernon argued that local authorities need greater capacity and resources to address problems directly affecting communities, contending that Jamaica’s housing crisis cannot be solved simply by building more houses.

“At its core, the housing question is a development question. It concerns land use, infrastructure, environmental management, transportation, public space, economic opportunity, and social equity,” Vernon told the recent World Habitat Day Conference in Montego Bay, hosted by Community Management and Development (COMMAND).

According to Vernon, Montego Bay is an appropriate setting for the discussion given the pressures created by rapid growth, tourism, migration, climate vulnerability, and increasing demand for housing.

He identified Canterbury, Grange Pen, sections of Albion, and communities surrounding the North and South Gullies as areas continuing to face challenges related to insecure tenure, flooding, inadequate infrastructure, and limited access to quality public spaces.

“As growth accelerates, the demand for affordable housing within reach of jobs and services becomes increasingly urgent,” he said.

IMMEDIATE PRIORITY

Vernon said expanding land regularisation and secure tenure should be an immediate priority. While the Government has begun the process, he argued that much more remains to be done.

“The Government has started some of that, but we will have to do much more,” he said, adding that secure tenure would allow families to invest more confidently in their homes and improve access to economic opportunities.

He also called for affordable housing developments to be planned alongside transportation networks, employment centres, and supporting infrastructure, while urging greater investment in drainage, flood mitigation, environmental restoration, and public spaces.

Particular emphasis, he said, should be placed on the role of local government in delivering these interventions.

“Achieving these objectives requires strong local government,” Vernon said, noting that municipal authorities are responsible for functions that directly affect community well-being, including development control, local planning, disaster preparedness, emergency response, public spaces, and community engagement.

He also highlighted waste management, community roads, and public health as areas in which local governance plays a critical role.

While distinguishing between local government structures and the delivery of services through local offices, Vernon argued that both must be strengthened if communities are to achieve better outcomes.

“Notwithstanding, local governments often operate with limited fiscal resources and constrained authority,” he said, arguing that Jamaica’s development goals cannot be achieved without empowering municipal authorities to respond more effectively to local needs.

“If Jamaica is serious about achieving Vision 2030 and Sustainable Development Goal number 1, which seeks to end poverty, and Sustainable Development Goal number 11, which promotes inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities and communities, then local government must be strengthened through greater fiscal decentralisation, enhanced planning powers, improved technical capacity, and deeper citizen participation,” he said.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

“Sustainable development is ultimately delivered at the local level,” added Vernon, who is also chairman of the St James Municipal Corporation.He also credited COMMAND for bringing community voices into development discussions, saying that residents possess valuable insight into the challenges affecting their communities.

“For more than three decades, the organisation has demonstrated the value of community engagement in shaping public policy. The inclusion of grass-roots voices in today’s discussions reflects an important principle: the people who live the challenges of development possess valuable insights into the solutions,” he said.

Vernon urged participants to move beyond discussion and focus on practical action.

“The future of Montego Bay depends on policies that expand access to land, improve housing outcomes, strengthen resilience, and create sustainable communities where all citizens can thrive,” he said.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com