Barbados Parliament approves councils

The Barbados Parliament has approved the setting up of a new layer of local government in Barbados, with the passage of the Constituency Councils Act 2009.



With the approval of the legislation, the David Thompson administration can now move to set up the Councils, which are to be initially established in six of the 30 constituencies on the island.



Minister of Social Care and Constituency Empowerment, Chris Sinckler said the move would serve to empower ordinary Barbadians.



He also told parliament that the Councils should bring people closer to their government as well as allow ordinary Barbadians to make a contribution to their own development.



But the measure, which was passed by a vote of 18-8, did not receive the support of the main opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP), which has raised strong objection to the fact that Councilors will not be elected by the people.