Local government (LG) service delivery system in Sri Lanka has unique potential like many other developed
and developing countries. It affects on day-to-day activities of citizens at the grassroots level. Generally, types
of public goods and services and the way services are delivered by LG are frequently changing in the context of
people?s expectation, changes in the technology, scientific innovation, availability of resources, and challenges
that emerge either internally or externally. Though, several attempts had been taken to enhance service delivery
of LG through continuous technical and financial assistance in Sri Lanka during last two decades, in most cases
service receivers were socially excluded or faced problems in getting basic goods and service from the LG. This
situation has emerged due to a number of factors such as shortage of sufficient and competence human
racecourses, inconsistency politics, unclear powers and functions to undertake service delivery, poor publicprivate
partnership, inadequate financial resources, inaccessibility to community for services, and poor public
participation. Therefore, this study attempts to explore the challenges of LG service delivery in Sri Lanka. In
view of this, newly constituted Matara Municipal Council was selected as a case study. Through this case,
researcher tried to find the answers to research questions of what are the challenges faced by MMC in terms of
better service delivery? And how MMC would overcome its challenges and what innovations and strategies
would work to deliver the better service to the public. The study also tested hypothesis of constitutional and
legal framework, consistency politics, institutional capacity and service delivery mechanism built up by publicprivate
partnership at the micro level can ensure the better service delivery.
The study was largely guided by the service delivery models especially decentralization service delivery model
and alternative service delivery model (multi-level governance model). Using these two models, researcher
identified following as crucial variables affecting the better service delivery at the lower levels of government:
(a) constitutional and legal framework, (b) consistency politics, (c) institutional capacity, and (d) service
delivery mechanism. Taking these variables as an independent variables, analytical framework had been
developed. This framework analysis what are the challenges faced by MMC in terms of better service delivery?
And how MMC would overcome its challenges and what innovations and strategies would work to deliver the
better service to the public? The study was based on both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
Qualitative and quantitative data was gathered by using primary and secondary sources, and data was presented
using texts, tables, chats and figures.
The major findings of the study is that though as a decentralized LG institution, MMC implemented several
strategies and innovations, has developed partnership with the private sector and enhanced the public
participation in the health service delivery process, it failed to ensure the better health service delivery to the
public. The main factor for that it doesn?t has an appropriate constitutional and legal framework, institutional
capacity, service delivery mechanism built up by public-private partnership and mutual understand between
national and local political leadership. This situation leaded to emerge the various challenges in health service
delivery include shortage of sufficient and competence human racecourses, inconsistency politics, unclear
powers and functions to undertake the health service delivery, poor public-private partnership, inadequate
financial resources, inadequate physical resources, inaccessibility to community for health services, and poor
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public participation. For the sustainability of health service delivery at the grassroots level, the study
recommends mobilizing public to participate in health service delivery, introduction of new strategies and
innovations, filling vacancies and enhancing competency of the staff, regularizing the Internal Auditing
Mechanism, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the health service delivery through Five Year Plan
and enhancing Public-Private Partnership in health service delivery.