Squatter settlements show lack of govt preparedness - Mbilikita
Squatter settlements show lack of govt preparedness - MbilikitaBy Noel Sichalwe
Sunday May 06, 2007 [04:00]
The squatter settlements in Lusaka and other towns of Zambia has clearly exposed lack of responsiveness and preparedness by government, Livingstone City Council development planner Chilombo Mbilikita has said. Presenting a paper at the ongoing International Conference on Sustainable Human Settlements for Economic and Social Settlement in Livingstone, Mbilikita said the authorities were lagging behind people’s initiatives.
“The phenomena of squatter settlements in Lusaka and other towns of Zambia has clearly brought to light the lack of responsiveness and lack of preparedness on the government and local authorities to anticipate and plan ahead of the people,” Mbilikita said.
“The current situation of informal settlements, urban rot and decay, calls for a planning system which can support the modernisation of the economy and a legislation that needs to be responsive enough to deliver where it is needed,” he said.
He said for the municipalities to function effectively, decentralisation was an inevitable process. Mbilikita however noted that, for decentralisation to be effective, appropriate courses of action should be adopted. Mbilikita said among the actions to be adopted should include the minimum level of education for councillors or local politicians for them to appreciate and understand urban management issues.
He said other actions should involve training of councillors in urban management courses and review and harmonisation of legislation to make them more relevant to local conditions.
Mbilikita further said there was need for simplification of planning legislation into local languages and that each district should have a vision such as strategic and development plans.
“As a result of a rigid town planning system, development practitioners are faced with a challenge of how to include the slum/informal settlement dwellers into the city development process,” he said.
“Informal settlements in Lusaka’s urban area are a manifestation of legislative institutional and legislative weaknesses inherent in governance.”
He said normally the procedure for town planning was not followed to the letter due to lack of finance and human resources by the municipalities.
Mbilikita said the local government Act provided for central government funding to municipalities and that this implied that when the central government revenue was low, the municipality suffered inadequate funding.
“The council’s ability to raise finances independently is limited because they are not allowed to borrow or even receive grants from foreign governments and organisations. Sources of revenue for the Lusaka City Council are thus limited to licensing fees, levies and charges, rates and personal levies.
The lack of financial autonomy and inadequate grants received from the central government has left the local authority in a weak financial position to the extent that it is not able to deliver services it is designated to provide,” said Mbilikita.
Labels: DECENTRALIZATION, LOCAL GOVERNMENT
posted by MrK @ 3:37 AM
1 Comments:
“The council’s ability to raise finances independently is limited because they are not allowed to borrow or even receive grants from foreign governments and organisations. Sources of revenue for the Lusaka City Council are thus limited to licensing fees, levies and charges, rates and personal levies.
I am not at all in favour of Zambian councils borrowing from foreign governments and organisations.
However, I would like to see half of Zambia's revenues going to local government.
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