SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine – The monthly general meeting of the St Catherine Parish Council exploded in anger yesterday after Councillor Dr Raymoth Notice (JLP – Bog Walk Division) accused the local government body of brazen corruption and called on the prime minister to immediately dissolve the council.

“We need to lockdown this council. have it abolished until the corruption is controlled,” Notice said. “Mr chairman, what I want… as a matter of fact, Mr chairman, I am calling on the minister of local government and Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller to put down their feet and take the council in hand and dissolve this council now, otherwise more serious things will happen.”

The allegation by Notice, who served as Spanish Town mayor from 2003 to 2005, infuriated his successor, Dr Andrew Wheatley, who jumped to his feet and blasted Notice.

The former mayor, Dr Wheatley said, was making serious allegations against the council.

“Notice has called for the council to be abolished. I am sick and fed up of it. This is a serious allegation by the councillor and an indictment on me. This only stirs up more allegations,” Dr Wheatley fumed.

But even as Dr Wheatley and other councillors from both sides shouted down Notice, the former mayor stood his ground and continued talking.

His condemnation came during a debate of an allegation made by him at last month’s council meeting that a councillor – whom he has refused to name – was able to divert $1 million from a road project and use the funds to purchase land for a community centre without seeking and obtaining the council’s approval.

The council had advised secretary/manager Franklin Smith to investigate the allegations while the local government minister has instructed the permanent secretary to have a team of auditors from the ministry examine the books of the council.

But yesterday, Smith complained that while a preliminary response has been sent to the local government minister, his investigations could not proceed as Notice refused to supply the name of the councillor as well as other relevant information.

But Notice, objecting to Smith’s job as investigator, called for the intervention of Director of Public Prosecutions Kent Pantry, maintaining that he had irrefutable proof that the councillor bought the land.

Yesterday, Councillor Owen Stephenson (PNP – Sligoville Division), confirmed that enquiries were made about a piece of land in the Laureston division, Spanish Town in which he lives. “As far as I know, arrangement was made for land to be bought in Laureston division and money was paid down on the land,” said Stephenson. “As far as I know, it is some citizens’ association [that] should buy the land and it started in K D Knight (MP for East Central St Catherine) time but the land has not been bought.”

After the meeting, Notice told the Observer that he found breaches during his term in office and had discussed them during council meetings.

“That is why I am asking the prime minister to dissolve the council and order an external investigation into its affairs,” he said. “If we are to have a level of good governance I see no reason why this council can’t be abolished and a proper system put in place for it to be properly reformed.”

Calling on Notice to give facts to support his allegations, the council moved the matter to the next Finance Committee meeting to be held next Wednesday.