Gov’t assessing possibility of forming district councils
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley said the government has been assessing the possibility of implementing district councils to offer a better and a more localised form of representation to residents of the respective local constituencies.
A district council would ideally comprise councillors whose primary role under the Westminster style of governance would be to represent their division and the people who live in it. Councillors provide a bridge between the community and the council which, in the BVI’s case, would possibly be headed by elected district representatives.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Dr Wheatley, who is also the Seventh District Representative, explained that in the current system, it is not necessarily the district representatives that get the work done within their electoral districts.
He said government ministries are the ones that execute most public projects in each district. And within that context, he said district representatives are like advocates to the different ministries.
While responding to questions from the media about establishing district councils, Dr Wheatley replied: “What you said is something that has been discussed even in the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report and it is something that we have been discussing for some years now and I think it is time to implement it. The very same thing you mentioned with District Council.”
“In the COI report, the COI did not necessarily call it the District Council, but they called it a panel that perhaps could involve civic-minded persons in each district being able to administer programmes as opposed to programmes simply being administered by a District Representative who got assistance grant through the House of Assembly,” the Premier added.
He noted that the House of Assembly is currently constructing a system being led by Opposition Leader Julian Fraser, Minister for Health and Social Development Marlon Penn and Deputy Speaker Neville Smith.
They will form a committee to look at the reform of the House of Assembly’s constituency engagement by having constituency offices and by proposing district councils to allow community members to get involved in decision-making and the administering of programmes that will help to uplift their districts.
“This is something that needs to be done and it is something I am looking forward to receiving the proposal on and of course monies will have to be allocated towards that project,” Dr Wheatley said.
The Premier said the proposal is something his government will share with the public and ensure residents are a part of the process.
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The time is right. Look at the Bermuda Government models which are functioning.
For God in Heaven Sake it makes no difference if those councils will be made up of the same families that have been digging our eyes our head for years……….
someone please assist the Premier out of the maze he is lost.
This is ridiculous. You have 9 elected representative which on average represents about 2000 people each. Then you have 4 others who do no know who they are representing. and you still want to further subdivide this 2000. What you need is better grassroot organization in the districts and the representative meeting at least once per month with each group for communication, planning and development within the communities. If a representative cannot spend 3 hours per week to meet with constituents, the they should resign. and I do not mean just meet with party supporters.
I suggested district councils to a constitution review commissioner many, many years ago when the at large system was being introduced. I also suggested that the Chief Minister (at the time) be elected at large. they said it could not work.
District councils might help our people to mature politically (assuming we are not so far down the rabbit hole of dishonesty that only God can save us).
not 9 districts. There is only 25-30K people in the BVI. A 5 member legislature can handle all the ministries to run this small country. This artificial inflation of the public service is over.
Makes perfect sense to me. If you all were in my district where the representative does not interact with their constituents and is noticeably absent from HOA meetings most of the time, you would welcome this idea.
And I’m sure this district is not the only one suffering from abandonment.
Nothin functional about Bermuda governance Mr Famous
Many British Local Councils serve populations of over sixty thousand people, so yes. a good idea, We can then suspend the entire central overinflated government system we now have
Let’s see how long that last if they aren’t paid. Whoever agree to dis just lookin for a hero. ( they must be thinking Liv Tyler: ? I need a hero ? He’s gotta be hard and he’s just be be fast and not afraid of the night ? ) There’s a lot of problems but ain’t nobody want to be no GD hero. Heroes die a bloody death