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Local
Government was established in 1994 as a
Division of the Ministry of Local Government
Youth and Sport. It became a Department
headed by a Principal Secretary in February
2003.
Establishment of Local Government was aimed
at decentralising the delivery of services
through the localisation of activities
within districts so as to encourage active
community involvement.
Seychelles
had its first taste of Local Government in
the early 1950s when the colonial powers
created the Victoria District Council. This
council was responsible for the provision of
utilities and the rendering services in
sewerage as well as collection of property
and land taxes within the town of Victoria.
In
December 1991, the Government enacted the
Local Government Act under which the
District Councils were elected. Each
Council had a Chairman and five other
councillors. The Chairman had the dual
roles of a legislator in the National
Assembly and the executive in the District.
The
Constitution of the Third Republic repealed
this Act and stated that the Government of
the day had the right to decide how best to
manage the Districts.
Cognisant
of the growing requirements placed on local
governance, the need to improve on quality,
efficiency and accountability, the
Government set up new system of Public
Appointments in the office of the District
Administrator (DA). The DAs are responsible
to the Minister for Local Government and
meet with the Minister once a month to
discuss on matters of policy and to keep the
Minister abreast of new developments within
their jurisdictions.
The Local
Government Department has since 1999 been at
the forefront to respond to the needs and
aspirations of the community by developing
various community life based programmes.
Between
1999 and 2000, the Local Government
Department introduced Community Life
Programmes and in 2001, local structures
were established for effective consultation. |
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