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Portmore boundary changes to be gazetted soon

Published:Friday | September 25, 2015 | 12:00 AMJerome Reynolds, Staff Reporter

Local Government Minister Noel Arscott says he has now signed the necessary instruments to have the boundary changes in the Portmore Municipality in St Catherine gazetted.

There have been repeated calls for the government to fix boundary issues in Portmore before an election is called.

In an interview with The Gleaner Power 106 News Centre yesterday, Arscott said that he inked the documents on Wednesday.

He says he expects the process will be completed by next week.

The boundary changes have to be gazetted to become lawful.

In March, the Electoral Office of Jamaica collected the necessary signatures required in law from residents of Portmore to allow for changes to two divisional boundaries.

Anomalies arising from boundary changes in 2010 caused the councillors for Greater Portmore North and the Portmore Pines divisions to be unable to take their seats in the Municipality despite being duly elected in the 2012 local government elections.

Instead, the councillors had to sit in the St Catherine Parish Council.

The situation also left residents in the division without representation.

The law was amended last year which allowed the councillors to finally take their seats in the municipal council.