Districts, LLGs face closer scrutiny

 By SONIA KENU 

PERFORMANCES of district and local level governments would be closely monitored to ensure they met set standards.

The departments of Personnel Management and Provincial Local Level Government Affairs are working to lift the standard of districts and local level governments. 

Deputy secretary of the Department of Provincial Local Level Government Affairs Dickson Guina said they were working on a minimum standard policy set by the Provincial Local Level Government Services Monitoring Authority.

Guina told The National that minimum standards would check what a district or LLG should have in place to enable basic service delivery. 

“For instance a district or LLG should have a road to open up economic activities such as markets and regular delivery of medical supplies to aid posts and clinics,” he said.  

“We want to make district and LLGs become service centres so that people won’t travel to towns or cities to access basic services. 

“This would also minimise the urban drift which we see as an issue today because more people are flocking into the city to enjoy the luxury of services provided.

“When we have more people unemployed, some try to seek attention by creating social and law order problems.” 

He said minimum standards were also stressed at the joint district, province and national department public service workforce development programme at Abau district in Central last week. 

Guina said the minimum standard policy would be presented to the National Executive Council for endorsement.