THE Senate yesterday approved the postponement of local government elections until after March 1, 2003 by amending the Parish Councils Act and the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation Act.

This is the second postponement of the municipal polls since the last one was held on September 10, 1998. It was due to be held next before March 2002, but was postponed by the government in what it said was to allow for consultation and public education relating to proposed reforms.

The postponement received bi-partisan support in recognition that the local government system was undergoing significant reform.

Opposition senator, Ryan Peralto, said the postponement was “reasonable”, but he expressed concern that questions raised by the Upper House about aspects of the reform process had not yet been addressed. He mentioned, in particular, the proposed merging of the operations of several parish councils.

But Peralto’s colleague, Anthony Johnson, noted that it was a case of “poor governance” to frequently postpone local elections and to have some 10 divisions and constituencies at local and national levels without political representatives.

Meanwhile, yesterday’s sitting of the Senate was shortened due to government’s decision earlier this week to postpone debate on proposed amendments to the Electric Lighting Act in order to implement a cess of 3.14 per cent on the electricity bills of consumers. The money collected is to be used to maintain and expand street lighting services.

Senator Burchell Whiteman, leader of government business, tabled the bill, but indicated that it would not be debated. But his counterpart on the Opposition side, Oswald Harding, objected to the tabling or first reading of the Bill, noting that the prime minister had indicated that the legislation would be amended to facilitate changes in response to objection of the business leaders to the proposed cess