Local government in The Bahamas

Local government in the Bahamas exists in two forms, namely second-schedule and third-schedule district councils. There are a total of 32 local government districts: 13 second-schedule districts, which are further sub-divided into town areas, and 19 third-schedule districts, which are all unitary authorities. The second and third schedules together make up the first schedule.[1] Local government policy is formulated and administered by the Department of Lands and Local Government through the Office of the Prime Minister. The day-to-day policy handling of the portfolio falls to the Minister of Local Government who also is empowered to create new local government areas from time to time based on demographics. The administrative and financial management is overseen by the ministry’s permanent secretary.[2]

History

Local government previously existed in the Bahamas in the form of appointed "Board of Works". Here towns and villages held their influence over these Board of Works, but almost all final decisions were made by the central government through that islands' Commissioner. The modern system of local government that is in use today was implemented on 8 March 1996. The Out Islands of the country could now enjoy a somewhat greater degree of autonomy, but New Providence Island, in which the capital city Nassau is located, was to be directly governed by the central government. The act that implemented local government had described all districts as either being Second-Schedule or Third-Schedule districts. [3]

Map of The Bahamas with the districts numbered

Districts of The Bahamas

The Districts of the Bahamas provide a system of Local Government everywhere in The Bahamas except New Providence (where Nassau the capital is located, whose affairs are handled directly by the central government). The current system dates from 1996 when 23 districts were "created" by The Bahamas Local Government Act of 1996– a further 9 have been added since 1999.[4]

Local Government in The Bahamas has seen great success since its introduction, but there has been concern over the case of New Providence and whether or not it should have local government.

District	Island Group	Largest Town and Cities
Acklins	Acklins and Crooked Islands	Spring Point, Lovely Bay
Berry Islands	Berry Islands	Bullocks Harbour, Chub Cay
Bimini	Bimini	Alice Town, Louis Town
Black Point	Exuma	Black Point
Cat Island	Cat Island	Arthur's Town, Port Howe
Central Abaco	Abaco	Marsh Harbour, Spring City
Central Andros	Andros	Cargill Creek, Behring Point
Central Eleuthera	Eleuthera	Governor's Harbour
City of Freeport	Grand Bahama	Freeport Lucaya
Crooked Island	Acklins and Crooked Islands	Colonel Hill
East Grand Bahama	Grand Bahama	Pelican Point, Maclean's Town
Exuma	Exuma	George Town, Rolleville
Grand Cay	Grand Cay	Grand Cay City
Green Turtle Cay	Abaco	New Plymouth
Harbour Island	Eleuthera	Dunmore Town
Hope Town	Abaco	Hope Town, Man-o-War Cay
Inagua	Inagua Islands	Matthew Town
Long Island	Long Island	Deadman's Cay, Clarence Town
Mangrove Cay	Andros	Moxey Town, Lisbon Creek
Mayaguana	Mayaguana	Abraham's Bay
Moore's Island	Abaco	Hard Bargain, The Bight
North Abaco	Abaco	Coopers Town, Crown Haven
North Andros	Andros	Nicholl's Town, Morgan's Bluff
North Eleuthera	Eleuthera	Upper Bouge, Lower Bouge, Current
Ragged Island	Ragged island Chain	Duncan Town
Rum Cay	Rum Cay	Port Nelson
San Salvador	San Salvador Island	Cockburn Town, United Estates
South Abaco	Abaco	Sandy Point, Crossing Rocks
South Andros	Andros	Congo Town, Mars Bay
South Eleuthera	Eleuthera	Tarpum Bay
Spanish Wells	Russel Island	Spanish Wells
West Grand Bahama	Grand Bahama	West End, Eight Mile Rock

• New Providence

Types of Councils

Every district in the Bahamas has a districts council.[5] A district council is a corporate body with perpetual succession; capable of entering into contracts, of suing and being sued, of acquiring, holdings, leasing and disposing of property of any description, and of doing all such things and entering into such transactions that are within the scope of the Local Government Act.[6] District Councillors are elected by the population of that district in accordance with Local Government Act.[7] As stated in The Bahamas Local Government Act 1996, Districts councillors shall within two weeks of their election, elect from among themselves a Chief Councillor.[8] The Chief Councillor shall be the representative of a Districts Council for all affairs. He or she is to preside over all meetings and also themselves co-ordinate these meetings.[9]

All districts councils are classed as first-schedule councils. The first-schedule is further sub-divided into two types of councils: two tier second-schedule district councils that have town committees within their jurisdiction, and unitary third-tier district councils.[10] Second-schedule districts have the following statutory boards and committees:

• Road Traffic Licensing Authority
• Port and Harbour Authority
• Hotel Licensing Board
• Liquor and Shop Licensing
• Town Planning Committee

Town committees are sub-structures of the second-schedule district councils, but are also corporate bodies themselves. They share responsibility with second-schedule district councils for a number of the schedule local government functions. They also have statutory responsibility for local regulation and licensing within their jurisdiction.[11] Third-schedule districts councils are unique within the Bahamas because they combine the responsibilities of the second-schedule districts and of the town committees. Both second- and third-schedule district councils carry out a building control function...[12]

Distribution of councils and population (2010 Census)

Island	2nd tier	3rd tier	Town	Population
New Providence	0	0		246,329
Abaco islands	3	4		17,242
Acklins	0	1		565
Andros Island	3	1		7,490
Berry Islands	0	1		807
Bimini	0	1		1,988
Cat Island	1	0		1,522
Crooked Island	0	1		330
Grand Bahama	2	1		51,368
Harbour Island	0	1		1,762
Eleuthera	2	1		8,202
Exuma and Cays	1	1		6,928
Inagua	0	1		913
Long Island	1	0		3,094
Mayaguana	0	1		277
Ragged Island	0	1		72
Rum Cay	0	1		99
San Salvador	0	1		930
Spanish Wells	0	1		1,551
TOTAL	13	19		351,461	13,940
Largest Council	31,478	6,014
Smallest Council	72	1,548

Elections

Local government elections take place once every three years in the Bahamas with the most recent elections taking place in June 2011 in which 391 positions were contested.[13] The voting system used in local government elections is the first-past-the-post system. Both councillors of third-schedule district councils and members of town committees are directly elected, while members of second-schedule councils are indirectly elected from town committees. Third schedule district councils have between five and nine members, whereas the size of councils in both second-schedule councils and town committees varies according to population size. By elections are held whenever the need arises. A councillor is deemed to have resigned if they are absent for three consecutive meetings.

For both types of district councils the Chief Councillors and their deputies are indirectly elected from amongst the elected officials. They serve for the lifetime of the council and the Minister of Local Government determines their stipend. Second-schedule district councils' statutory boards also elect chairpersons and their deputies from amongst their members.[14]

Major Islands

Reference map for the Islands of the Bahamas[15]

New Providence Andros Bimini The Berry Islands Inagua Crooked Island Acklins Mayaguana Florida (USA) Abaco Islands Grand Bahama Turks and Caicos Islands (UK) Exuma Long Island Ragged Island Cuba Cat Island San Salvador Rum Cay Eleuthera

Islands of the Bahamas[16]

Crest	Island's name	Capital (or largest settlement)	Population	Area (km²)
	Acklins	Spring Point[17]	560	492
	Abaco	Marsh Harbour[18]	16,692	1,681
	Andros	Andros Town	7,386	5,957
	Berry Islands	Nicholls Town	798	31
	Bimini	Alice Town	2,008	23
[[]]	Exuma and Cays	George Town	6,928	250
	Cat Island	Arthur's Town[19]	1,503	389
	Crooked Island	Colonel Hill[20]	323	241
	Eleuthera	Governor's Harbour[21]	9,363	518
	Grand Bahama	Freeport City[22]	51,756	1,373
	Inagua	Matthew Town[23]	911	1,679
	Long Island	Clarence Town[24]	3,024	596
	Mayaguana	Abraham's Bay	271	285
	New Providence	Nassau	248,948	207
	Ragged	Duncan Town[25]	70	36
	Rum Cay	Port Nelson	99	78
	San Salvador	Cockburn Town[26]	930	163
	The Bahamas	Nassau	353,658[27]	13,943

See also

• Chief Councillor
• Hope Town District Council
• ISO 3166-2:BS
• List of Caribbean First-level Subdivisions by Total Area
• List of newspapers in the Bahamas
• Commonwealth Local Government Forum-Americas

References

1. "The Local Government System in the Bahamas". Commonwealth Local Government Forum.
2. "The Local Government System in the Bahamas:Ministerial oversight:". Commonwealth Local Government Forum.
3. "West Indies". The Hope Town District Council. Archived from the original on 26 October 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
4. "Laws and Acts". Retrieved 20 December 2010.
5. Bahamas Local Government Act 1996, Part IV, Section 10:1 Retrieved-November-27
6. Bahamas Local Government Act 1996, Part IV, 10:2 Retrieved-November-27
7. Bahamas Local Government Act 1996, Part IV, 10:4 Retrieved-November-27
8. Bahamas Local Government Act 1996, Part IV, 11 Retrieved-November-27
9. Bahamas Local Government Act 1996, Part IV, 11:2 Retrieved-November-27
10. "The Local Government System in the Bahamas:Council Types". Commonwealth Local Government Forum.
11. "The Local Government System in the Bahamas:Council Types:Second-schedule District Councils&Town Committees". Commonwealth Local Government Forum.
12. "The Local Government System in the Bahamas:Council Types:Third-Schedule Districts". Commonwealth Local Government Forum.
13. Gibbs, Gena (25 June 2011). "Local Government holds national elections in Family Islands". Bahamas Information Services.
14. "The Local Government System in the Bahamas:Elections". Commonwealth Local Government Forum.
15. "Reference map for the Islands of the Bahamas". Retrieved 20 December 2010.
16. "The Commonwealth of the Bahamas". Retrieved 20 December 2010.
17. "Acklins / Crooked Island Activities and Attractions". Archived from the original on 24 March 2006. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
18. "DeBora's Dreamscape". Retrieved 20 December 2010.
19. "Majestic Holidays". Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2010.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
20. "Acklins Island and Crooked Island, Bahamas". Retrieved 20 December 2010.
21. "Med Point". Retrieved 20 December 2010.
22. "Grand Bahama - an impartial guide to the Island". Archived from the original on 29 November 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
23. "The Inaguas". Retrieved 20 December 2010.
24. "Bahamas Gateway Yellow Pages -- Hotels". Retrieved 20 December 2010.
25. "DeBora's Dreamscape". Retrieved 20 December 2010.
26. "San Salvador Bahamas: Christopher Columbus First Landfall". Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
27. "Comparison between the 2000 and 2010 Population Censuses and Percentage Change" (PDF). Retrieved 20 December 2010.

External links

• Bahamas.gov.bs