KINGSTON, Jamaica – The island’s municipal corporations have received a total of 37,577 applications for processing since 2016 with the value of approved applications totalling more than $1.5 trillion.

This was disclosed on Friday by the Mayor of Kingston, Senator Delroy Williams, during his contribution to the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate.

Describing local government as a “big deal” Williams said the local government apparatus has an indispensable role in executing the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Government’s prosperity plan.

“This model reinforces the importance and increasing impact of local government in the country’s transformative journey. Through policy initiatives, local government has profoundly impacted our communities by bolstering and evolving institutions crucial for national resilience and progress,” Williams remarked.

He described the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) of which he is chairman, as being fully supportive of the government’s prosperity agenda.

“We play our part in delivering for the people. The government is committed to building a better Jamaica and, like building projects, the municipality has a role to play,” he said.

According to Williams, the prosperity is taking off as can be seen in the number of building applications being processed. He stated that the KSAMC received over 4,500 building applications between 2019 and 2023. The government senator said this was important as even when the COVID-19 pandemic was crippling economic activity in many industries, the municipality played its part and ensured that the construction industry was able to continue and thrive.

“The contribution to our recovery was no small accomplishment,” Williams boasted before listing a number of big development projects that has taken place across the corporate area in recent years. He added that there are more in the pipeline.