The day-to-day policy handling of the portfolio falls to the Minister of Local Government who also is empowered to modify the list and boundaries of districts.Here towns and villages held their influence over these Board of Works, but almost all final decisions were made by the central government through that islands' Commissioner.The current system dates from 1996 when 23 districts were created by The Bahamas Local Government Act of 1996; a further 9 have been added since 1999.[citation needed] The Minister responsible for Family Island Affairs has the power to create one or more districts for all or part of New Providence by decree.[14] A district council is a corporate body with perpetual succession; capable of entering into contracts, of suing and being sued, of acquiring, holding, leasing and disposing of property of any description, and of doing all such things and entering into such transactions that are within the scope of the Local Government Act.They share responsibility with second-schedule district councils for a number of the schedule local government functions.