adminhaemorrhaging of public funds used to sponsor the self serving and holidaying meetings.
In a letter headlined “Ministerial directive on elimination of costs on unnecessary trips and meetings” addressed to mayors and chairpersons of councils, Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister
Ignatius Chombo, said forums such as those for treasurers, chief executive officers, town clerks and engineers should be streamlined to at least once per year.
The quarterly meetings are funded by councils and are often held in resort towns. Most local authorities are struggling to provide good services to residents and even pay workers but are never short of money to sponsor the forums.
“Despite the sad state of affairs, I am baffled to observe that your councils are not taking necessary measures to eliminate unnecessary costs with the view of redirecting the scarce available resources towards meeting critical needs.
“Instead, councils continue to irresponsibly waste public resources on frivolous and costly internal and foreign trips by the council leadership,” said Minister Chombo.
The Government directive is not without precedence as the State itself has cut on expenditure and private companies have followed suit to minimise on unnecessary trips.
He said huge amounts of money were being misdirected towards holding of countless non-statutory meetings such as forums of treasurers, CEOs, town clerks and engineers.
“It is common cause that councils can not afford the above cited luxuries while at the same time attending to statutory obligations.
“I am therefore in terms Section 314 as read with section 315 of the Urban Councils Act directing that the sad, unacceptable trend stops forthwith,” he said.
Minister Chombo said “No mayor, chairperson, councillor nor council official shall embark on a council funded foreign trip without my written approval,” he said.
He said savings realised from the elimination of the unnecessary costs should be re-channelled towards service delivery and “clearing of salaries/wages and statutory obligation arrears”.
Online Reporter