Seven members, nineteen staff, and a harbour that never closes
What we decide, what we only forward, and how to put something on the agenda of an open meeting.
How decisions get made here, and how to be in the room
The council has seven elected members and meets on the first and third Sunday of every month. Meetings are open, they start at eight in the evening in the council hall, and residents may sit in without asking anybody.
The agenda is published on the noticeboard and on this site four days before. Any resident may ask for an item to be added by writing to the secretary general seven days before the meeting, and in the last two years thirty one resident items have gone on the agenda. Nine of them changed a council decision, which is a better rate than most people expect and is the argument for bothering.
What this council decides: the harbour and its dues, waste collection and the new centre, the roads and lighting, the covered market and its stalls, the council hall, the burial ground, the play areas, the two football grounds, and the island's own registry and record keeping.
What it does not decide: who owns land, utility connections, the health centre, the school, and anything a national office holds authority over. In those cases the council takes the paperwork, adds what its own record shows, forwards the file with a covering letter and chases it monthly. We will always say which of the two a matter is, and we will not give you an opinion dressed up as a decision.
Minutes of every meeting are kept at the office and may be read by anybody. The accounts are published each quarter and the tender notices go on this site with their closing dates.
The members and their portfolios
Ibrahim Naseer
Elected in 2021 and holds the harbour. Chairs the open meetings and is the member who took the waste centre decision to a public vote rather...
Aishath Zeeniya
Runs the separation scheme, the collection rounds and the new centre. She is the person to see about a missed collection, a tractor load or...
Mohamed Thasleem
Holds the fault list and the vehicle permits. Keeps the log of reported lorries and reads it out at every council meeting, which is why the...
Fathimath Sausan
Runs the office, the complaints book, the tender notices and the market waiting list. Ask her for an item on the agenda of an open meeting,...
Berths, dues and loading hours
How do I book a ramp slot?
Through the harbour office, which is open every day from six in the morning until eight at night, by telephone or in person. Slots are two hours.
A boat carrying cargo for more than three households should book. A small load can take its chance on the second ramp, and most mornings that is fine.
What are the dues, and where are they paid?
A dhoni registered to this island pays nothing. A visiting dhoni pays a nightly rate, and a cargo boat pays by the night alongside plus a ramp charge for each slot. The rates are on the board at the harbour office and at the council counter.
Everything is paid at the council office. The harbour keeper handles no money at all. Anybody asking you for cash on the quay should be reported to the office the same day.
Can I load at night?
Loading runs from six in the morning until nine at night. Outside those hours you need the harbour keeper's written agreement in advance.
It is given for perishable cargo and for an emergency. It is not given because a boat ran late, which is the request we get most, and the reason is the houses on the harbour road rather than any objection to the work.
The next open meeting is the first Sunday
Eight in the evening, the council hall on Harbour Magu. The agenda goes up four days before.