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Legislation for heads of local bodies to continue despite budget defeat
View(s):Parliament will take up for debate five Bills related to local authorities that will allow for heads of these bodies to remain in the office, even after their annual budgets are defeated.
The five related pieces of legislation that will be amended are the Municipal Councils Ordinance, Urban Councils Ordinance, Pradeshiya Sabha Act, Local Authorities Elections Act and Local Authorities Filling Vacancies Act.
Under existing legislation, heads of local authorities have to resign if their annual budgets are defeated twice. Last December, about 15 heads of local bodies controlled by the ruling UPFA, had to resign after their budgets were defeated. The Government says these budget defeats were done due to personal agendas of getting rid of heads of these institutions, with Government members conniving with Opposition members to provide the numbers needed to vote out the budgets.
There are 335 local authorities in Sri Lanka.
Debates on these Bills will take place on Thursday (9).