Parliament approves budget for Local Govt Service

Parliament has approved GH¢ 506,611,253 as the budget estimate for the Local Government Service (LGS) to implement its programmes and activities for the 2017 financial year.

Out of the GH¢ 506,611,253, an amount of GH¢487,387,895 would come from the government while GH¢19,223,358 could come from development partners.

The approval followed the presentation of the report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government and Rural Development, which recommended the release of the money to the LGS.

Inadequate personnel

The Chairperson of the Committee, Ms Patricia Appiagyei, mentioned the inadequacy of personnel at the district assemblies and the non-functional nature of the sub-district structures to support service delivery as some of the challenges.

On the performance management contract, Ms Appiagyei said it was a novelty introduced by the service to derive the maximum contribution from its staff.

The committee’s report recommended that the LGS should formulate innovative programmes that would attract donor funding.

It also recommended that revenue collectors be paid on commission basis to motivate them to mobilise more revenue for the assemblies.

Local Government Minister

Moving the motion for the approval of the budget, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, said activities that would be implemented by the LGS this year included the development of legal and regulatory frameworks, human resource audits, capacity-building programmes and construction of office accommodation.