The local council for Colombo, Sri Lanka
The Colombo Municipal Council is the municipal governing body of Colombo, the largest city and financial centre in Sri Lanka. It consists of a directly elected executive Mayor of Colombo, and elected 119 municipal councilors. The council was formed in 1865, it first met in 1866 and derives most of its powers from Municipal Council Ordinance No. 29 of 1947.[1]
It is the oldest and the largest local government authority in Sri Lanka which covers a resident population of over 600,000 (as of 2001). It is one of the largest employers in the country with over 12,000 employees.[2]
Council
Colombo is a charter city, with a Mayor Council form of government. Colombo's mayor and the council members are elected through local government elections held once in four years. It has 16 standing committees on various subjects.
Officers
The Colombo Municipal Council under the Municipal Council Ordinance have several elected and appointed officers. These are;
- Mayor
- Deputy Mayor
- Municipal Magistrate
- Municipal Commissioner
- Municipal Secretary
- Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Engineering services)
- Municipal Treasurer
- Chief Medical Officer Of Health
- Chief Municipal Veterinary Surgeon
- Municipal Assessor
- Chief Librarian
- Charity Commissioner
- Chief Fire Officer
Administration
The Mayor serves as the head of the council assisted by a Deputy Mayor. A Municipal Commissioner heads the staff and administration municipal, which is made up of 16 departments. The Municipal Commissioner is appointed by the minister of local government or which ever minister the subject is vested under. Usually the appointment would be made from an officer seconded from the Sri Lanka Administrative Service. In the absence of the mayor or deputy mayor or following the end of term of the council, the commissioner would serve as the officer implementing the powers and functions of the Colombo municipal council. Municipal Commissioner is entitled to use of Park House, Colombo as an official residence which is a 16 bedroom mansion at Albert Crescent, Colombo 7.[3][4]
Departments
The Colombo municipal council is made up of 16 departments. These include;
- Mayor's Office
- Municipal Treasurer’s Department
- Municipal Secertary’s Department
- Municipal Engineer’s Department
- Municipal Health Department
- Municipal Veterinary Department
- Curative Department
- Indigenous Health Department
- Public Library Department (Colombo Public Library)
- Public Assistance Department
- Legal Department
- Sports and Recreation Department
- Training and Development Department
- Municipal Assessor’s Department
- Central Procurement Department
- Fire Service Department (Colombo Fire Brigade)
Powers and functions
The municipal council is responsible for:
Population
The Colombo Municipal Council covers the Colombo and Thimbirigasyaya Divisional Secretariat Divisions. According to the 2011-12 Census the population living within the boundaries of the CMC was 555,031. Of this number, 318,048 lived in the Colombo DSD (the Northern part of the city) and 236,983 lived in the Thimbirigasyaya DSD (the Southern part).[5]
Political make up
For the past 50 years the city had been dominated by the United National Party (UNP), a right leaning party, whose business friendly policies resonate with the population of Colombo. The UNP as held majority in the council and post of Mayor since the party was formed in 1947, with two brief exceptions. In 1954, the UNP lost the municipal election to the Trotskyist Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and Dr N. M. Perera was elected Mayor. The LSSP won several local government elections that year including nine Village Councils and three Urban Councils, apart from the Colombo Municipal Council.[6] In 2006, the UNP nomination list for the 2006 Municipal elections was rejected,[7] and an Independent Group supported by the UNP won the elections.[8] Uvais Mohamed Imitiyas was subsequently appointed Mayor of Colombo.[9] The former Mayoress Rosy Senanayake, the first female Mayor of Colombo, was elected in 2018 representing the UNP.
National politics
Colombo as the largest city and former capital of Sri Lanka, has been at the center of Sri Lankan politics. The Colombo municipal council has been an entry route for many politicians. Four national leaders, which includes two presidents, J. R. Jayewardene and Ranasinghe Premadasa; one prime minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, and an independence activist Vivienne Goonewardene started their political career by contesting for the Colombo municipal council.
