The St Catherine Parish Council is to stage a series of community meetings to heighten awareness and educate residents about the local government reform process.

Speaking with JIS News, secretary manager of the council, Christopher Powell, said the meetings are to be staged over four Wednesdays, in Linstead, Old Harbour, Spanish Town, and Portmore.

Delivery of services

"We'll be discussing local government reform, governance and the involvement of citizens, and try to educate them on the whole issue of property tax and other areas of service that the Council offers," he said.

Local government reform was initiated with the aim of increasing the capacity of the local authorities to carry out their functions with less reliance on central government. This was motivated by the desire to establish mechanisms to enhance the delivery of services and to respond to the needs of citizens more effectively.

As a result of the reform process, parish councils are being given greater allocation of funding, a wider mandate, and greater levels of control over their affairs.