Do not politicize sub-metro assembly - Mayor

Cape Coast, Aug. 2, GNA - The Mayor of Cape Coast, Mr Anthony Egyir Aikins, on

Tuesday cautioned staff of the newly created sub-metro of the Cape Coast Metropolitan

Assembly against politicizing the office because the concept of the sub-metropolitan

assembly was non-partisan. They are therefore expected to be committed and hardworking, working closely with the

Assembly to implement policies and programmes in its developmental drive to help

improve the living conditions of the people. The Mayor said this when he inaugurated the Cape Coast South Sub-Metropolitan

Council office at Aboom, a sub structure of the Assembly. "You should dedicate yourselves to the services of the council in or= der to make life

better for the people of Cape Coast, he advised and urged all and sundry to support them

to function effectively," he said. Mr Aikins enumerated some of the functions assigned them as keeping record of all

ratable persons and properties under the council, assisting persons authorized by the

Assembly to collect revenues as well as prepare manual budgets of revenues for the

approval of the Assembly. Other functions are recommending to the Assembly the naming of streets in its area of

authority, numbering of buildings in the area, planting and protection of trees as well as the

prevention and control of fire outbreaks. He said the Assembly had formulated policies and programmes to improve the living

conditions of the people of Cape Coast and that some of the interventions included the

provision of social and economic infrastructure as well as training and development

programmes for the Assembly staff. He encouraged the Council to take advantage of the Local Enterprise an= d Skills

Development Programme (LESDEP) to build the capacities of both entrepreneur= s and the

unemployed in the society, calling on the staff to be proactive and committed. Mr Aikins disclosed that the Cape Coast North Metropolitan Council wil= l be inaugurated

by the end of September, 2011, as part of its mandate to improve local government and

participatory development for the general wellbeing of the people. Mr Samuel Atta Mensah, Presiding Member of the Assembly, expressed concern about

the stagnation of the development of the area and stressed that it was time the town took

its rightful place among the elite cities in Ghana. Mr Ben Eghan Mensah, Head of Administration of the South Council Office= , gave the

assurance that he, together with his team, would work hard to improve the Metropolis.