22 December 2020 12:08 am
By Sandun A. Jayasekera
The action taken by members of certain local government bodies to defeat the budget 2021 of respective Pradeshiya Sabhas (PS) and Urban Councils (UC) had disrupted the smooth functioning of local government administration, a senior official of the Local Government and Provincial Councils said.
Nevertheless, the Mayor or the Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman had the power under the Municipal Council Ordinance No. 29 of 1947, the Urban Councils Ordinance No. 61 of 1939 and the Pradeshiya Sabha Act No. 15 of 1987 to run the local government body unaffected after the defeat, she added.
Mrs. Gayani Prematilaka, Senior legal officer of the Local Government and Provincial Councils Ministry told Daily Mirror yesterday that it was quite obvious that the move to defeat the budget 2021 of certain local government bodies were politically motivated.
“Under the Pradeshiya Sabha Act and Urban Council Ordinance, members are entitled to defeat a budget if the Chairman does not accept the amendments proposed by members. What has happened in many recent instances is that they have voted against the budget even after the chairman accepted the amendments to the budget,” Mrs. Prematilaka said.
However, the governor of the province has the authority to approve a defeated budget to ensure the smooth administration of the respective local government body, she stressed.
The next local government election was due in 2022, she added.