One of the commission’s most consequential recommendations is the placement of all 30 district-level government departments under the authority of the elected district council. The commission argues that this system has already been successfully implemented in the hill districts.

In a landmark step towards decentralisation and democratic local governance, the Local Government Reform Commission has proposed that all district-level government departments be placed under elected district councils. The commission also recommended synchronising all local government elections under a unified schedule to streamline costs and resources.

The commission, led by its chairman Dr Tofail Ahmed, submitted its final report to Chief Adviser of the interim government, Professor Muhammad Yunus on Sunday. The report outlines 51 far-reaching recommendations aimed at restructuring Bangladesh’s outdated local government system, which Dr Ahmed described as a colonial-era structure designed to control people rather than serve them.

“This is a big step forward towards devolution of powers,” said Dr Tofail Ahmed, addressing a press briefing after the handover. “For local governments to function effectively and democratically, they must be empowered with resources, autonomy, and authority.”

One of the commission’s most consequential recommendations is the placement of all 30 district-level government departments under the authority of the elected district council. The commission argues that this system has already been successfully implemented in the hill districts, and should now be replicated across the country to ensure better coordination, efficiency, and accountability.

Severe Underfunding

In a bold push for electoral efficiency, the commission also proposes holding elections for all five tiers of local government – union parishads, upazila parishads, municipalities, city corporations, and district councils – under a single schedule and in a staggered manner. Dr Ahmed noted that in one fiscal year, 225 days and Tk 2,300 crore were spent conducting separate local government elections. Under the proposed unified schedule, elections could be held within a short time frame at a significantly reduced cost of approximately Tk 700 crore.

“This will save not just money but also administrative energy and public patience,” said Dr Ahmed. “However, we believe that unless fundamental reforms are made first, no election can deliver the outcomes people expect.”

The commission also highlighted the severe underfunding of local government bodies. Currently, they receive only 0.5 per cent of the national budget. The report calls for this to be substantially increased, recommending that one-third of the government’s VAT revenue be allocated to local governments. Additionally, it suggests that all funds allocated to a district’s development should be managed through its respective district council.

“Local government bodies cannot function on peanuts,” Dr Ahmed asserted. “We need to strengthen both local revenue mobilisation and central funding to enable these bodies to undertake meaningful development.”

Fragmented Legal Framework

To support judicial and administrative functions at the grassroots, the commission also proposes establishing full courts in every upazila under a senior assistant judge to handle both civil and criminal cases. This move, according to Dr Ahmed, is constitutional and necessary to ensure justice delivery at the local level.

Other key proposals in the report include:

• Creation of city governments for Dhaka and Chattagram to better manage urban governance.
• Formation of a public engineering cadre by merging the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and the Public Health Engineering Department.
• Division of each union into three wards for upazila elections, and each upazila into three wards for district council elections.
• Fulfilment of all vacant health posts at union and upazila levels.
• Formulation of a combined and expanded budget for all local government institutions.

Significantly, the report also calls for unifying the various legal frameworks governing different local bodies into one comprehensive law, aiming to remove overlaps and legal inconsistencies.

“The current legal framework is fragmented and often contradictory,” said Dr Ahmed. “A unified law will not only simplify the system but also provide clarity and consistency in governance.”

While the commission refrained from making direct suggestions on whether local or national elections should be held first, Dr Ahmed emphasized that the sequencing should be decided by the government and political parties. However, he underscored that no election, local or national, can yield meaningful results without comprehensive structural reforms.

The report is now under review by the interim government, and its implementation could mark a transformative shift in how governance and public service delivery are structured at the grassroots level in Bangladesh.

If adopted, these reforms may signal the beginning of a more empowered, efficient, and democratic local government system, bringing decision-making closer to the people it affects most.