St Catherine Municipal Corporation rejects Bill to make Portmore Jamaica’s 15th parish

The St Catherine Municipal Corporation has voted along party lines to reject the Counties and Parishes (Amendment) Act, 2025, which was passed by both houses of Parliament to grant parish status to Portmore.

During a general council meeting today, chairman of the municipal corporation, Norman Scott, put the matter to a vote.

All 20 People’s National Party (PNP) councillors present voted to reject the Bill, while 17 Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillors supported it.

The vote is meant to register the discontent of the municipal corporation to the move to establish Portmore as a parish.

PNP councillors have consistently argued that the decision should be made through a referendum, allowing the residents of Portmore to determine whether they want their municipality to become Jamaica’s 15th parish.

Once the Bill becomes law, the political dynamics of the St Catherine Municipal Corporation will shift in favour of the JLP, which will assume leadership with 17 councillors compared to the PNP’s 12.

The Senate last week voted along party lines to endorse the Bill, following its earlier approval in the House of Representatives.

- Ruddy Mathison

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