Colombo Municipal Council

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, current elect is Rosy Senanayake, and 119 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]

Colombo Municipal Council

Official Seal and 150th Anniversary Logo
Type
Type
Local authority
of Greater Colombo
HousesUnicameral
Term limits
Four years
History
Founded1866 (1866)
Leadership
M. T. M. Iqbal
V.K.Anura
Structure
Seats1 Mayor and 119 Municipal Councilors
Mayor of Colombo political groups
Government
  •   United National Party (60)

Opposition

Length of term
Four years
Elections
Mayor of Colombo last election
February 2018
Meeting place
Town Hall, Colombo
Website
www.colombo.mc.gov.lk

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;

  1. Mayor
  2. Deputy Mayor
  3. Municipal Magistrate
  4. Municipal Commissioner
  5. Municipal Secretary
  6. Municipal Treasurer
  7. Chief Medical Officer Of Health
  8. Chief Municipal Veterinary Surgeon
  9. Municipal Assessor
  10. Chief Librarian
  11. Charity Commissioner
  12. 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 additional 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 current 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.

See also

References
  1. "The History of the City". Colombo Municipal Council. Archived from the original on 2011-12-02. Retrieved 2006-01-12.
  2. "City Profile". Colombo Municipal Council. Archived from the original on 2005-12-25. Retrieved 2006-01-12.
  3. CMC gets a new Municipal Commissioner
  4. "Former Municipal Commissioners yet to hand over official residences". newsfirst.lk. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  5. http://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/CPH2011/index.php?fileName=pop31&gp=Activities&tpl=3
  6. Alexander, Robert Jackson. International Trotskyism, 1929-1985: A Documented Analysis of the Movement.
  7. Colombo UNP list rejected, BBC News, February 16, 2006
  8. Independent group wins CMC, BBC News, May 21, 2006
  9. Rotational mayors as Colombo gets trishaw driver as her 1st citizen, Sunday Times, May 28, 2006
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