The Prime Minister has proposed the designation of municipal status for Negril

According to the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), Prime Minister, the Most Honorable Andrew Holness, has underscored the necessity for Negril to establish its own local authority, thereby allowing the town to more effectively manage its affairs.

The Prime Minister, addressing members of the Negril business community and other stakeholders on July 12, asserted that the resort town has outgrown its current governance structure, presenting challenges to both infrastructure and administration.

“Negril as a town is growing far beyond its infrastructure, it is also growing far beyond the system set up for local governance. Our system is that the towns are within a parish and the boundaries determine which local authority has control over the town,” Mr. Holness said.

“We will now have to do the necessary consultations and make the necessary legislative changes to give Negril its own Municipality. Towns and cities must be managed and managed from a local level,” he added

The Prime Minister asserted that Negril’s growth and expansion have propelled the town beyond Westmoreland into Hanover, firmly establishing the need to clarify jurisdiction.

“Based on all the communications I have received the stakeholders want to do things for themselves in Negril. I know there will be a challenge because of the parish boundaries, but we will have to work that out. Currently both Westmoreland and Hanover can take ownership, leaving the question as to who really is in charge,” he added.

Mr. Holness said that while there have been discussions on the matter in the past, it was time to give Negril its own Municipality.

“I know when we talk about this, especially for those who don’t live in Negril, there are indeed questions as why we would want to do this and upset the governance architecture that currently exist,” the Prime Minister added.

“Where the problem lies is where the solution should be. If the proper structure is put in place, I am convinced you could see an improvement in how the town is managed. Negril is going through what Portmore went through…to manage its own affairs. Any superior authority should empower the residents to do things for themselves. Negril has also outgrown not only it’s physical infrastructure but its management structure,” Mr. Holness further noted.

Negril, celebrated for its breathtaking beaches and electrifying tourism scene, has witnessed explosive growth in recent years.