In 1959 the country of Barbados

Barbados

Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...

 was changed from the Vestry

Vestry

A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....

 system, into a more modern system of local government patterned after that of the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

.
Two main sub-regions known as District

District

Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...

s were formed in Barbados, and the majority of the vestry parish councils, which acted as local government were consolidated and transferred into these larger areas and also the Bridgetown City Council. Both were simply known as the Northern and Southern districts, and a third separate area consisted of the City of Bridgetown. Each of these districts were run by Chairmen, and the city with a mayor affiliated with Barbados' political parties.

Northern District

The Northern District contained all parishes northwards of the parishes of Saint Michael, Saint George and Saint John. This included:

• Saint Andrew
• Saint James
• Saint Joseph
• Saint Lucy
• Saint Peter
• Saint Thomas

Southern District

The Southern District contained all parishes to the south and east of Saint Michael, This included:

• Christ Church
• Saint George
• Saint John
• Saint Philip

City of Bridgetown

Besides the two districts, the greater Bridgetown area was devised into three city wards. These were known simply as:

• The City Ward
• The Carlisle Ward
• The Saint Michael Ward

Local government

• The North and South districts each had their own Council. These councils were maintained by a Chairman, and was further supported by Aldermen and Councillor
  Councillor
  A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
  
  s.
• The City of Bridgetown as outlined in the Local Government Act, (1958); was governed by a Mayor, a Deputy Mayor, six City Aldermen(senior councillors), and twelve City Councillors (four Councillors went to each of the three wards.)

Disestablishment

In between 1967-1969, the process of local government was phased out. At this time all local matters became transferred to the national level, to the Interim Commissioner of Local Government. The District councils and mayors were removed and constituents in each parish from then on depended on their Parliamentary representative or national government corporation, department, or statutory agencies

Statutory boards of the Barbadian Government

The statutory boards of the Barbados Government are organisations that have been given authority to perform certain functions in society. They usually report to one specific ministry.*Accreditation Council, The*Archives Advisory Committee, The...

 to carry out the provision of services across Barbados' eleven parishes.

Legacy

Although the districts have been abolished, the operational structure of the Royal Barbados Police Force

Royal Barbados Police Force

The Royal Barbados Police Force , as outlined by the Constitution of Barbados is a part of the government responsible for local law enforcement. The Commissioner of the Police force is Darwin Dottin, who also served as the last president of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police...

 (RBPF) still follows closely to the districting system that was once in Barbados.

Within the police force:

• Saint Michael is covered by District A,
• Both Christ Church and Saint George are covered by District B,
• Both Saint Philip and Saint John are covered by District C,
• Saint Thomas is covered by District D,
• Saint Peter is covered by District E,
• Saint Joseph is covered by District F.

There are additional operations located in:
Holetown

Holetown

Holetown , is a small town located in the Caribbean island nation of Barbados. Holetown is located in the parish of Saint James on the sheltered west coast of the island.-History:...

, Saint James; Belleplaine, Saint Andrew; and Crab Hill, Saint Lucy.

See also

• Constituency Councils
  Constituency Councils
  Constituency Councils are the most local statutory representative bodies today in Barbados.The Constituency councils are somewhat similar to parish councils that existed in Barbados at one time, mainly to communicate local opinion to larger bodies in the central government.They were founded in 2008...
  
  
• Geography of Barbados
  Geography of Barbados
  Barbados is an Continental Island in the North Atlantic Ocean; and is located at 13°10' north of the equator, and 59°32' west of the Prime Meridian. As the easternmost isle of the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies, Barbados lies 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and Caribbean Sea...
  
  
• History of Barbados
  History of Barbados
  Barbados was inhabited by Arawaks and Caribs at the time of European colonization in the 16th century.The island was a British colony from 1625 until 1966....