Mayor of Portmore Leon Thomas has pointed out that the Government of Jamaica must consider establishing crucial infrastructures in the municipality before concretising a parish status.

Mayor Thomas noted that while he is not opposed to the principle of the Government making Portmore the fifteenth parish of Jamaica, certain amenities must be considered to cement this idea.

“The question of whether Portmore should be a parish or not should be put to the residents in a referendum and not a hasty political decision,” Thomas noted.

“With this in mind, Portmore still has several challenges and deficiencies,” Thomas stated. “Just to name a few – no public hospital; no public morgue, no cemetery, no designated market, no poor relief office, no parish court, no defined boundaries, poor road network, and no infirmary,” Thomas stressed.

Thomas also pointed out that as a result of the aforementioned inconvenience, Portmore residents depend heavily on Spanish Town and Kingston and St Andrew, for the above crucial services.

Thomas stressed that the state of the municipality’s fire station must also be taken into consideration in order to move forward with the proposed plan.

“Portmore’s fire station is woefully inadequate and cannot serve the existing communities, along with the rapid commercial and residential developments,” Thomas argued.

Thomas further noted that these infrastructures should be established, as these are the essential elements that the Municipality has continuously worked on in its quest to provide adequate services to the residents of Portmore.

As it stands, the municipality of Portmore is seen as the most populous community within the English-speaking Caribbean, with a population in excess of 184,000 persons.

Additionally, Portmore is home to many of Jamaica’s tertiary trained graduates.