Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie has warned councillors at the Hanover Parish Council (PC) that he is prepared to take the necessary actions to preserve the integrity of Local Government.

“Those who are in charge have neglected the town [Lucea]. All it requires is leadership. The councillors have fallen down on the job – the job that you were elected by the people to do, you have not been doing it,” a visibly disappointed McKenzie told councillors at a special sitting of the Hanover PC last Thursday, as he ordered an audit of the operations of the local body.

The audit, which is being conducted by a team from the Ministry of Local Government, McKenzie said, is to be completed in three weeks, but he told the meeting that he has asked the team for an interim report before then.

And based on that interim report, he emphasised, “I will know what next steps to take and where we go from there.”

The local government minister was speaking against the background of alleged incidents of gross impropriety, favouritism, and other breaches involving the awarding of government contracts recently uncovered by the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) at that local authority.

Similar alleged charges were levelled against the council over a year ago, which resulted in the resignation of former Lucea Mayor Shernet Haughton as chairman of the local body.

Under the Local Government Act the minister is vested with the power to dissolve parish councils if he sees fit, thereby allowing the ministry to take full control of their operations.

When asked by the Jamaica Observer West last week if he is contemplating dissolving the Hanover Parish Council, McKenzie said, “Whatever the outcome [of the audit] is in terms of what we find, then we will have to examine that option to protect the integrity of local government.

“In fact, if that [dissolving the council] is necessary, it will be done. Because you can’t be putting a Band-Aid on a sore over and over. It doesn’t make sense, so if they are not prepared to fall in line and to comply and to do the things that are necessary, that means they have no regard for the rule of law,” he argued.

The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) controls the Hanover PC. In the March 2012 Local Government polls, the then ruling PNP won five of the seven parish council divisions, while the Jamaica Labour Party and an independent won one each.

McKenzie told the councillors last week that the Hanover PC has the potential to be able to operate in a manner that gives pride to the parish, adding that it can generate enough revenue to carry out its operations without depending on central government for financing.

“Look at the town of Lucea. When I came here three Saturdays ago I couldn’t believe that it was the same town that I used to drive through. It tells you that those who are in charge have neglected and have abrogated their responsibility to the people of the parish. A lot more can be done. And I have said to the mayor that the things that are needed don’t require a million dollars, all it requires is good leadership, and my colleague councillors, you have fallen down on the job,” he charged.

“One commitment that I am giving to the people of Hanover, though, is that the next administration of councillors, whether it’s PNP or JLP, will not come into a parish council with this kind of perception, because the perception out there is strong.”

He challenged the councillors who are seeking re-election in the upcoming local government elections to ensure that their campaign is based on genuine service to the people whose votes they will be seeking.