Welcome
Welcome to our webpage! This webpage is dedicated to promoting awareness of the Council’s operations, activities and to create a clear insight of the roles and functions of the St. Mary Parish Council.
The St. Mary Parish Council
The St. Mary Parish Council, like all other Parish Councils, is governed and guided by the PARISH COUNCILS ACT (August 7, 1901) and the Parochial Rates and Finance
Act of 1981, which speaks to establishment, elections, committees of the Council and financial management.
These acts give the Council the legal power it needs to enforce a number of laws, to manage and regulate the ways communities are shaped and maintained through its services. The Council, therefore, acts as an integrator, coordinator, regulator and facilitator.
In accordance with section 3 of the Parish Councils Act which states that “The Parish Council shall be composed of one Councillor for each electoral division of the Parish constituted in accordance with the provisions of section 10." The life of Council/Councillors is three (3) years; but it can be extended by Parliament.
There are thirteen (13) electoral divisions in St. Mary, namely:
Belfield
Highgate
Richmond
Hampstead
Carron Hall
Gayle
Castleton
Oracabessa
Annotto Bay
Port Maria
Boscobel
Islington
Retreat
The Current sitting Councillors since March 29, 2012;
Levan Freeman/ Mayor/ Councillor – Belfield Division
Paul Fyffe Deputy Mayor, Councillor – Highgate Division.
Richard Creary – Richmond Division
Barton Oliver – Hampstead Division
Doreen Hutchinson - Carron Hall Division
Jason James – Gayle Division
Lenford Danvers – Castleton Division
Bruce Farrell – Oracabessa Division
Dane Golding - Annotto Bay Division
Trecia Harris Smiley - Port Maria Division
Fitzroy Wilson – Boscobel Division
Lincoln Dixon – Islington Division
Hugh Radway - Retreat Division
The St. Mary Parish Council is headed by the Mayor (the Act of 1901) and it is divided into two arms.The Political Arm and the Administrative Arm. The Mayor is in charge of the Political Arm while the Secretary/Manager is in charge of the Administrative. The sitting Mayor is Councillor Levan Freeman and the Secretary/Manager is Ms. Carmen Samuda.
In order to achieve the objectives and key outcomes set out by the St. Mary Parish Council, the day-to-day operations of the Council are divided into ten (10) functional departments. These include Finance, Physical Planning, Roads and Works, Poor Relief, Administrative, Audit, Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Management, Community and Public Relations, Municipal and Commercial Service and the Infirmary.
Programmes, which are executed by these departments, take a team approach which allows for the building of consensus around areas and issues that have significant impact on the Council’s direction and priorities. The aim of the Council is to ensure that the needs of the citizens are met as well as to see to the orderly development of the Parish. This involves the maximization of revenue, financial compliance, conformity to building codes and development control.
The cumulative efforts and resources of the Council should ultimately lead to four (4) outcomes these are; Governance, Revenue Enhancement, Commercial Service Improvement, Partnership and Cost Reduction/Parochial Road Fund.
In order for these priorities to materialize, the Council must play a pivotal role as it seeks, allocates and monitors the financial, physical and human resources needed for their implementation. Collaboration is also key and stakeholders must be kept abreast.