Government’s $800,000 review of the corporations of Hamilton and St. George is part of a plan to abolish the two municipalities, Mayor Charles Gosling said today.

The Mayor of Hamilton said Government’s aim was obvious based on comments made Friday by Minister Walter Roban.

Mr. Roban has been tasked with overseeing the reforms. On Friday he announced that local firm Attride-Stirling & Woloniecki Barristers & Attorneys and the international firm of McKenna Long & Aldridge would serve as consultants during the detailed review of the municipalities.

Most telling, said Mr. Gosling, was the Minister’s statement that the consultants “have been given specific objectives and timelines so that we can move forward with reform later in 2010”.

“In plain language this means Government wants to abolish the Corporations and take away voting rights,” Mr. Gosling said.

The Mayor also questioned how Mr. Roban could deny it was Government’s intent to abolish the two corporations when contrary statements had been made in a letter to his predecessor, Sutherland Madeiros.

“It very clearly states, ‘Cabinet determined that the most practical, efficient and effective reform would be to repeal the Municipalities Act 1923 and transition the operations of the Municipalities into the relevant Government Departments’.”

For the full story see tomorrow’s Royal Gazette.