Nestled in the civic centre of the capital on 3 Sevens Road in May Pen Clarendon, the Clarendon Municipal Corporation is the hallmark of the Mayoral Office, Administrative and Technical Departments that manage the affairs of the parish while providing essential public services to communities.
The Corporation consists of twenty-two (22) elected representatives (Councilors) who meet monthly to deal with matters, correspondence and petitions from all its citizens.
The first Parochial Board Meeting was convened on the 1st of October, 1885, in May Pen Clarendon, signaling the origin of “The Parish Council of Clarendon.” The significant mention of May Pen was in Law 20 of 1867 which states that:
May Pen was made capital in 1938 and was granted Mayoral status in 1962.
The responsibilities of the Corporation include:
- Developing, managing and maintaining infrastructure and public facilities such as parochial roads, water supplies, drains and gullies, parks, recreational centers, markets, abattoirs, pounds, cemeteries, transportation centers and public sanitary conveniences.
- Provision of local services such as Poor Relief, Public Cleansing, Public Health, Street Lighting, social water.
- Regulating powers in respect of building and planning approvals and development centre, licensing of trades and businesses, street parking, control of public vending centres.
- Co-ordinating inter-agency collaboration among Non-governmental organizations (N.G.O.s) community based organizations (C.B.O.s) and government agencies which operate in the parish and are engaged in the delivery of Local service or Local Development.
- Support of national policies/development programmes at the local level.
- Spearhead plans and initiatives for orderly, balanced and sustainable development of the parish as a whole and major towns in particular for boosting economic activity and local wealth creation in the parish.
- Organize and stage civic and special events to mark local and national commemorative occasions.