Local government in Sri Lanka
Encyclopedia
Local government
is the third and lowest level of government in Sri Lanka
- after the central government
and provincial councils. The local government bodies are collectively known as local authorities. They are responsible for providing a variety of local public services including roads, sanitation, drains, housing, libraries, public parks and recreational facilities. Local authorities are divided into three different groups: municipal councils, urban councils and divisional councils (pradeshiya sabha or pradesha sabhai). As of January 2011 there were 335 local authorities (18 municipal councils, 42 urban councils and 270 divisional councils). All local authorities are elected using the open list
proportional representation
system.
the earliest Sinhalese
settlements, dating to the 4th century BC, were village based. These villages were used by the Sinhalese kings as a unit of administration. Each village was independently administered. Village Councils (Gam Sabhas) administered local affairs, addressed people's grievances and settled minor disputes. The village based administration continued for centuries in one form or the other.
. The Colebrooke-Cameron Commission
of 1833 recommended that some form of village committee system be introduced. The Paddy Lands and Irrigation Ordinance No. 9 of 1856 re-introduced the Village Councils to oversee agriculture and irrigation. The Village Councils were chaired by the British appointed Government Agent
or Assistant Government Agent who in turn appointed the other members of the Village Councils.
Local government saw a number of developments the late 19th century. The Road Committees Act No 10 of 1861 created Provincial Road Committees and District Road Committees to administer the country’s public roads. The committees consisted of government officials, appointed members and elected members. The Road Committees functioned between 1861 and 1951 when their functions were transferred to the Public Works Department.
The Municipal Council Ordinance No. 17 of 1865 transferred responsibility for some local administration to local residents. The Municipal Councils consisted of elected and appointed members. Under the ordinance Municipal Councils were created for Colombo
and Kandy
. Reforms enacted in 1931 resulted in all members of Municipal Councils being elected.
The Village Communities Ordinance No. 26 of 1871 introduced Village Committees for local administration and Rural Courts for judicial administration. The ordinance allowed the Governor and the Legislative Council
to create a Village Committee at the request of local residents. The Government Agent chaired the Village Committee and other members were appointed. The Village Committees were similar to the Village Councils. Village Committees worked well and in 1938 reforms were carried allowing for members to be elected, the chairman being elected by other members, the creation of wards and the exclusion of local chiefs from being members. Village Committees could now collect land tax and provide local services such as roads, water supply, common amenities and public health.
The Sanitary Boards Ordinance No. 18 of 1892 created bodies to provide a number of public health services such as electricity, drainage, public conveniences, markets, dairies, laundries and water supply in small towns. The Sanitary Boards consisted of officials appointed by the Governor. The Local Boards Ordinance No. 13 of 1898 created Local Health and Sanitation Boards for larger towns. Their composition and powers were similar to the Sanitary Boards. The Local Health and Sanitation Boards started functioning on 1 September 1899.
The Local Government Ordinance No. 11 of 1920 created three types of local authorities: Urban District Councils (UDC), Rural District Councils and General Councils. Previous local authorities had been mostly appointed but these new authorities were elected. Two UDCs were created in 1922 and a further six in 1923.
The Donoughmore Commission
made a number of recommendations in relation to local government including that all members of local authorities be elected, establishment of new authorities, reorganisation of existing authorities and the creation of the Department of Local Government. The Urban Councils Ordinance No. 61 of 1939 created Urban Councils in the largest towns in the country. 27 Urban Councils created. The Town Councils Ordinance No. 3 of 1946 created Town Councils for small towns. 24 Town Councils were created by abolishing all the Sanitary Boards and Local Health and Sanitation Boards that existed at that time. The Town Councils were divided into wards and provided local services such as thoroughfares, public health, common amenities, physical planning and the collection of revenue.
The 1979 Tennakoon Commission recommended that District Development Councils (DDC) be established to carry out development functions currently carried out by the Central Government. The District Councils Act No. 35 of 1980 was passed by Parliament
and 24 DDCs created. The DDCs consisted of elected members and local Members of Parliament. District Ministers were also created. In addition, legislation was passed to abolish the Town Councils and Village Committees and to transfer their functions to the new DDCs. This last move was opposed by the Tennakoon Commission. The 24 DDCs started functioning on 1 July 1981. At the same time 83 Town Councils and 549 Village Committees were abolished.
The DDCs didn’t live up to expectations and a new form of local government was sought. The Wanasinghe Committee recommended that the DDC’s be abolished and replaced by Divisional Councils (Pradeshiya Sabha or Pradesha Sabhai), sometimes called Rural Councils or Regional Councils. Parliament passed the Pradeshiya Sabha Act No. 15 of 1987 on 15 April 1987. The Divisional Councils were generally commensurate with their namesake Divisional Secretariats
(Assistant Government Agent). The Local Authorities (Amendment) Act Nos. 20 and 24 of 1987 also changed the method of electing all local authority members from the first past the post using wards to proportional representation
using open list
s. 257 Divisional Councils started functioning on 1 January 1988.
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution
transferred the control and supervision of local government from Central Government to the newly created Provincial Councils. However, powers relating to the form, structure and national policy on local government remained with the Central Government. This meant that only the Central Government could create new local authorities, promote them, dissolve them and call an election.
In 1995 a Divisional Council was created for Biyagama
which had previously been governed by the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. In 1997 Moratuwa and Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Urban Councils were promoted to Municipal Councils. As of 199 there were 309 local authorities (14 MC, 37 UC, 258 DC). All parts of Sri Lanka are governed by local authorities except the Free Trade Zones in Katunayake
and Koggala which are governed by the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka.
In January 2011 there were a number of changes to local authorities, taking the total number to 335: two urban councils were promoted to municipal councils (Bandarawela, Hambantota), one divisional council was promoted to municipal council (Kaduwela), one divisional council was promoted to urban council (Eravur), two new municipal councils were created (Akkaraipattu, Dambulla) and two new divisional councils were created (Lunugala, Narammala).
Local authorities have the power to instigate legal action, enter into contracts, acquire land and employ staff. However, these powers are somewhat curtailed by the fact that they are subordinate to the Central Government and Provincial Councils and by the fact that other state institutions (such as the District Secretariat) enjoy similar powers as the local authority.
Unlike local authorities in other countries, those in Sri Lanka do not run schools, hospitals or the police. State schools
and hospitals
are run by the Central Government or Provincial Councils. There is a single police service
in Sri Lanka which is run by the Central Government.
Water, electricity
, street lighting and rest houses used to be provided by local authorities but these services were taken over by various companies and departments under the control of the Central Government. This takeover affected the finances of local authorities because these services are had provided local authorities with useful sources of revenue.
proportional representation
system. There is a single electoral area for the whole local authority. Electors vote for a party/independent group and allocate their preference(s) for individual candidates. Each party/independent group nominates one of their candidates as a candidate to become Mayor (MC) or Chairman (UC, DC). If that party obtains the largest number of seats then their candidate becomes Mayor/Chairman.
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
is the third and lowest level of government in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
- after the central government
Cabinet of Sri Lanka
The Cabinet of Sri Lanka is the council of cabinet ministers , responsible to parliament. Cabinet ministers are appointed by the President under the advice of the Prime Minister and serve at his pleasure. Officially the prime minister is the head of the cabinet, but the cabinet is chaired by the...
and provincial councils. The local government bodies are collectively known as local authorities. They are responsible for providing a variety of local public services including roads, sanitation, drains, housing, libraries, public parks and recreational facilities. Local authorities are divided into three different groups: municipal councils, urban councils and divisional councils (pradeshiya sabha or pradesha sabhai). As of January 2011 there were 335 local authorities (18 municipal councils, 42 urban councils and 270 divisional councils). All local authorities are elected using the open list
Open list
Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a party's candidates are elected...
proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
system.
History
Sri Lanka has a long history of local government. According to the MahavamsaMahavamsa
The Mahavamsa is a historical poem written in the Pali language, of the kings of Sri Lanka...
the earliest Sinhalese
Sinhalese people
The Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group,forming the majority of Sri Lanka,constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population.They number approximately 15 million worldwide.The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and the...
settlements, dating to the 4th century BC, were village based. These villages were used by the Sinhalese kings as a unit of administration. Each village was independently administered. Village Councils (Gam Sabhas) administered local affairs, addressed people's grievances and settled minor disputes. The village based administration continued for centuries in one form or the other.
Colonial rule
In 1818 the Village Councils were abolished by the British rulers of CeylonBritish Ceylon
British Ceylon refers to British rule prior to 1948 of the island territory now known as Sri Lanka.-From the Dutch to the British:Before the beginning of the Dutch governance, the island of Ceylon was divided between the Portuguese Empire and the Kingdom of Kandy, who were in the midst of a war for...
. The Colebrooke-Cameron Commission
Colebrooke-Cameron Commission
The Colebrooke-Cameron Commission was a Royal Commission of Eastern Inquiry sent by the British Colonial Office in 1829 to assess the administration of the island of Ceylon and to make recommendations for administrative, financial, economic, and judicial reform...
of 1833 recommended that some form of village committee system be introduced. The Paddy Lands and Irrigation Ordinance No. 9 of 1856 re-introduced the Village Councils to oversee agriculture and irrigation. The Village Councils were chaired by the British appointed Government Agent
Government Agent
A function called Government Agent exist or existed in the past in several countries, such as* Sri Lanka - see Government Agent * Canada - see Government Agent...
or Assistant Government Agent who in turn appointed the other members of the Village Councils.
Local government saw a number of developments the late 19th century. The Road Committees Act No 10 of 1861 created Provincial Road Committees and District Road Committees to administer the country’s public roads. The committees consisted of government officials, appointed members and elected members. The Road Committees functioned between 1861 and 1951 when their functions were transferred to the Public Works Department.
The Municipal Council Ordinance No. 17 of 1865 transferred responsibility for some local administration to local residents. The Municipal Councils consisted of elected and appointed members. Under the ordinance Municipal Councils were created for Colombo
Colombo Municipal Council
The Colombo Municipal Council is the local council for Colombo, the largest city and financial centre in Sri Lanka. The council was formed in 1865 and first met in 1866. The municipal council is the oldest and the largest local government authority in Sri Lanka and, as of 2001, covers a resident...
and Kandy
Municipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
. Reforms enacted in 1931 resulted in all members of Municipal Councils being elected.
The Village Communities Ordinance No. 26 of 1871 introduced Village Committees for local administration and Rural Courts for judicial administration. The ordinance allowed the Governor and the Legislative Council
Legislative Council of Ceylon
The Legislative Council of Ceylon was the legislative body of Ceylon established in 1833, along with the Executive Council of Ceylon, on the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission. It was the first form of representative government in the island...
to create a Village Committee at the request of local residents. The Government Agent chaired the Village Committee and other members were appointed. The Village Committees were similar to the Village Councils. Village Committees worked well and in 1938 reforms were carried allowing for members to be elected, the chairman being elected by other members, the creation of wards and the exclusion of local chiefs from being members. Village Committees could now collect land tax and provide local services such as roads, water supply, common amenities and public health.
The Sanitary Boards Ordinance No. 18 of 1892 created bodies to provide a number of public health services such as electricity, drainage, public conveniences, markets, dairies, laundries and water supply in small towns. The Sanitary Boards consisted of officials appointed by the Governor. The Local Boards Ordinance No. 13 of 1898 created Local Health and Sanitation Boards for larger towns. Their composition and powers were similar to the Sanitary Boards. The Local Health and Sanitation Boards started functioning on 1 September 1899.
The Local Government Ordinance No. 11 of 1920 created three types of local authorities: Urban District Councils (UDC), Rural District Councils and General Councils. Previous local authorities had been mostly appointed but these new authorities were elected. Two UDCs were created in 1922 and a further six in 1923.
The Donoughmore Commission
Donoughmore Commission
The Donoughmore Commission was responsible for the creation of the Donoughmore Constitution in effect between 1931–47 in Ceylon...
made a number of recommendations in relation to local government including that all members of local authorities be elected, establishment of new authorities, reorganisation of existing authorities and the creation of the Department of Local Government. The Urban Councils Ordinance No. 61 of 1939 created Urban Councils in the largest towns in the country. 27 Urban Councils created. The Town Councils Ordinance No. 3 of 1946 created Town Councils for small towns. 24 Town Councils were created by abolishing all the Sanitary Boards and Local Health and Sanitation Boards that existed at that time. The Town Councils were divided into wards and provided local services such as thoroughfares, public health, common amenities, physical planning and the collection of revenue.
Post independence
When Ceylon achieved independence in 1948 local authorities consisted of Municipal Councils (3), Urban Councils, Town Councils and Village Committees. The Local Authorities Enlargement of Powers Act No. 8 of 1952 transferred some powers from Central Government to local authorities and granted new powers to Urban Councils. In the thirty years after independence local authorities received more and more powers. There were 40 amendments to the Municipal Councils Ordinance, 44 amendments to the Urban Councils Ordinance, 23 Amendments to the Town Councils Ordinance and 49 amendments to the Village Committees Ordinance.The 1979 Tennakoon Commission recommended that District Development Councils (DDC) be established to carry out development functions currently carried out by the Central Government. The District Councils Act No. 35 of 1980 was passed by Parliament
Parliament of Sri Lanka
The Parliament of Sri Lanka is the 225-member unicameral legislature of Sri Lanka. The members of Parliament are elected by proportional representation for six-year terms, with universal suffrage. Parliament reserves the power to make all laws...
and 24 DDCs created. The DDCs consisted of elected members and local Members of Parliament. District Ministers were also created. In addition, legislation was passed to abolish the Town Councils and Village Committees and to transfer their functions to the new DDCs. This last move was opposed by the Tennakoon Commission. The 24 DDCs started functioning on 1 July 1981. At the same time 83 Town Councils and 549 Village Committees were abolished.
The DDCs didn’t live up to expectations and a new form of local government was sought. The Wanasinghe Committee recommended that the DDC’s be abolished and replaced by Divisional Councils (Pradeshiya Sabha or Pradesha Sabhai), sometimes called Rural Councils or Regional Councils. Parliament passed the Pradeshiya Sabha Act No. 15 of 1987 on 15 April 1987. The Divisional Councils were generally commensurate with their namesake Divisional Secretariats
Divisional Secretariats of Sri Lanka
The districts of the Sri Lanka are divided into administrative sub-units known as divisional secretariats. These were originally based on the feudal counties, the korales and ratas. They were formerly known as 'D.R.O. Divisions' after the 'Divisional Revenue Officer'. Later the D.R.O.s became...
(Assistant Government Agent). The Local Authorities (Amendment) Act Nos. 20 and 24 of 1987 also changed the method of electing all local authority members from the first past the post using wards to proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
using open list
Open list
Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a party's candidates are elected...
s. 257 Divisional Councils started functioning on 1 January 1988.
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution
Constitution of Sri Lanka
The Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has been the constitution of the island nation of Sri Lanka since its original promulgation by the National State Assembly on 7 September 1978. It is Sri Lanka's second republican constitution, and its third constitution since the...
transferred the control and supervision of local government from Central Government to the newly created Provincial Councils. However, powers relating to the form, structure and national policy on local government remained with the Central Government. This meant that only the Central Government could create new local authorities, promote them, dissolve them and call an election.
In 1995 a Divisional Council was created for Biyagama
Biyagama
Biyagama is an electorate in Gampaha District, situated in the Western Province of Sri Lanka....
which had previously been governed by the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. In 1997 Moratuwa and Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Urban Councils were promoted to Municipal Councils. As of 199 there were 309 local authorities (14 MC, 37 UC, 258 DC). All parts of Sri Lanka are governed by local authorities except the Free Trade Zones in Katunayake
Katunayake
Katunayake , is a town situated on the west coast of the island of Sri Lanka near Negombo and close to the commercial capital of Colombo. It is the site of Bandaranaike International Airport, the primary international air gateway to Sri Lanka...
and Koggala which are governed by the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka.
In January 2011 there were a number of changes to local authorities, taking the total number to 335: two urban councils were promoted to municipal councils (Bandarawela, Hambantota), one divisional council was promoted to municipal council (Kaduwela), one divisional council was promoted to urban council (Eravur), two new municipal councils were created (Akkaraipattu, Dambulla) and two new divisional councils were created (Lunugala, Narammala).
Powers
Local authorities don’t derive their powers from an individual source but from numerous Acts and Ordinances. The main Acts relating to local government are 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. As a consequence the three different types of local authorities have slightly different powers. Municipal Councils have more powers than Urban Councils and Divisional Councils.Local authorities have the power to instigate legal action, enter into contracts, acquire land and employ staff. However, these powers are somewhat curtailed by the fact that they are subordinate to the Central Government and Provincial Councils and by the fact that other state institutions (such as the District Secretariat) enjoy similar powers as the local authority.
Services
Local authorities are required to “provide for the comfort, convenience and well being of the community”. Laws require local authorities to carry out regulatory and administrative functions, promote public health and provide physical structures. Local authorities can only provide services which the law specifically allows them to do. Services provided by local authorities include roads, drains, parks, libraries, housing, waste collection, public conveniences, markets and recreational facilities.Unlike local authorities in other countries, those in Sri Lanka do not run schools, hospitals or the police. State schools
Education in Sri Lanka
Education in Sri Lanka has a long history which dates back two millennia and the Constitution of Sri Lanka provide for education as a fundamental right. The Sri Lanka's population has a literacy rate of 92%, higher than that expected for a third world country; it has the highest literacy rate in...
and hospitals
Health in Sri Lanka
-Hospitals:There are 555 government hospitals in Sri Lanka, in addaiation to several hospitals treating according to the Ayurvedic system.-Medical schools:* College of community physicians* Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo...
are run by the Central Government or Provincial Councils. There is a single police service
Sri Lanka Police Service
The Sri Lanka Police Service is the civilian national police force of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The police force has a manpower of approximately 85,000. It is responsible for enforcing criminal and traffic law, enhancing public safety, maintaining order and keeping the peace...
in Sri Lanka which is run by the Central Government.
Water, electricity
Ceylon Electricity Board
The Ceylon Electricity Board , is the largest electricity company in Sri Lanka. With a market share of nearly 100%, it controls all major functions of electricity generation, transmission, distribution and retailing in Sri Lanka. It is one of the only two on-grid electricity companies in the...
, street lighting and rest houses used to be provided by local authorities but these services were taken over by various companies and departments under the control of the Central Government. This takeover affected the finances of local authorities because these services are had provided local authorities with useful sources of revenue.
Electoral system
Since 1987 all local authorities have been elected using the open listOpen list
Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a party's candidates are elected...
proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
system. There is a single electoral area for the whole local authority. Electors vote for a party/independent group and allocate their preference(s) for individual candidates. Each party/independent group nominates one of their candidates as a candidate to become Mayor (MC) or Chairman (UC, DC). If that party obtains the largest number of seats then their candidate becomes Mayor/Chairman.
Distribution of local authorities
Distribution of local authorities by province in 2011:| Province Provinces of Sri Lanka In Sri Lanka, provinces are the first level administrative division. They were first established by the British rulers of Ceylon in 1833. Over the next century most of the administrative functions were transferred to the districts, the second level administrative division. By the middle of the... | Central | 4 | 6 | 33 | 43 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Eastern Province, Sri Lanka The Eastern Province is one of the 9 provinces of Sri Lanka. The provinces have existed since the 19th century but they didn't have any legal status until 1987 when the 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils. Between 1988 and 2006 the province was... |
3 | 5 | 37 | 45 |
| North Central North Central Province, Sri Lanka North Central Province is a province of Sri Lanka. Its capital is Anuradhapura. The province is not densely populated with a weak economy, as the land tends to be dry tropical woodlands.-History:... |
1 | 0 | 25 | 26 |
| North Western North Western Province, Sri Lanka North Western Province is a province of Sri Lanka. The districts of Kurunegala and Puttalam formulate Wayamba. Its capital is Kurunegala, which has a population of 28,571. The province is known mainly for its numerous coconut plantations. Other main towns in this province are Chilaw and Puttalam... |
1 | 3 | 29 | 33 |
| Northern Northern Province, Sri Lanka The Northern Province is one of the 9 provinces of Sri Lanka. The provinces have existed since the 19th century but did not have any legal status until 1987 when the 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils. Between 1988 and 2006 the province was... |
1 | 5 | 28 | 34 |
| Sabaragamuwa | 1 | 3 | 25 | 29 |
| Southern Southern Province, Sri Lanka The Southern Province of Sri Lanka is a small geographic area consisting of the districts of Galle, Matara and Hambantota. The region is economically backward compared to the Western province, where the capital Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte is situated... |
3 | 4 | 42 | 49 |
| Uva | 2 | 1 | 25 | 28 |
| Western Western Province, Sri Lanka The Western Province is the most densely populated province of Sri Lanka. It is home to the legislative capital Sri Jayawardenapura as well to Colombo, the nation's administrative and business center.-Districts:Basnahira is divided into 3 districts:... |
7 | 14 | 27 | 48 |
| Total | 23 | 41 | 271 | 335 |