The Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill, 2026, has been passed in the Senate, with the Government maintaining that the reforms will improve population representation and modernise municipal administration, without postponing the upcoming Local Government elections.
The Bill was passed in the Senate on Tuesday, with 23 voting for, six against and one abstaining.
Defending the Bill, Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Khadijah Ameen dismissed Opposition criticism of the proposed local government reforms, pointing to the Opposition’s record on Local Government elections.
“There was a Local Government election due 2006. It was postponed. 2007 come, they postpone it again. 2008, they postpone it. 2009, they postpone it. 2010, when they couldn’t take the pressure again because there was a snap election, Kamla Persad-Bissessar became Prime Minister in May of 2010, and in July of 2010 that was when a Local Government election was called and the PNM get licks.”
She also reiterated that the proposed changes to boundaries will not postpone the local government elections or affect the current councillors and aldermen.
“This Act comes into operation on a date fixed by the President for proclamation. This allows the Commission, the EBC, delimitation of electoral district to take place, the vesting of property and the administrative arrangements for the new Corporations to be put in place before the new map, so to speak, takes legal effect.”
Meanwhile, Land and Legal Affairs Minister Saddam Hosein said elevating Chaguanas to City status will improve fairness in representation, noting that its eight representatives serve over 70,000 people, compared to 12 representatives for 37,000 citizens in Port of Spain and 11 representatives for 50,000 people in San Fernando.
“How could that ever be fair? How could that be fair? How could you come today and complain that why we’re creating the city of Chaguanas? We have now, based on this particular legislation, reduced the number of the population size within what is the city of Chaguanas and make it comparable to Port of Spain and San Fernando. What wrong with that? What is the argument? That is fairness.”
The Government maintains that the reforms will modernise local government, improve population representation and establish the administrative arrangements needed to implement the new boundaries.