Is there a residency requirement for prospective Councillors?

Residency requirement for prospective Councillors

There are strict requirements that a person seeking political office as a Councillor must follow to be qualified for  nomination.

One such requirement is that any councillor candidate must reside in the jurisdiction he or she hopes to represent.

That councillor candidate is required live within the parish for at least 12 months immediately preceding the day of the elections.

For example, if an election was called for Thursday February 22, 2024, that councillor candidate must have been living within the parish, or in the case of the Corporate Area, in the corporate area, from at least the 21^st day February 2023.

Failing to meet this requirement is a breach of the Local Governance Act 2016.

According to the Local Governance Act 2016    

No person shall be capable of being elected a member of a Council or, having been so elected, shall sit or vote in a Council unless the person has resided in the area within the jurisdiction of the relevant Local Authority for twelve months immediately preceding the day of election.

No such residency requirement is imposed on prospective Members of Parliament.

Also, according to the same act

It shall not be lawful for ---

(a)     any person to be nominated as a candidate for election in more than one electoral division in the same election 

(b)     a Councillor to represent more than one electoral division in the Council at the same time 

The Electoral Commission of Jamaica, through the Electoral Office of Jamaica, is the body responsible for the conduct of elections in Jamaica. It comprises eight members appointed by the Governor-General; four selected commissioners, four nominated Commissioners and the Director of Elections.