Dingli reintroducing warden system

Dingli council is once again making use of the local warden system for law enforcement, the Department of Information said.

The council had withdrawn warden enforcement in January last year, five weeks before the local elections.

Justice and local government minister Austin Gatt congratulated the council for withdrawing the "irresponsible" decision of January, 2001, the DOI said.

Mayor Joseph Mary Abela, said yesterday the council was not against enforcement but had stayed out of the system in view of the cost involved to run the tribunal.

He said the decision to use the warden enforcement system again was the planned introduction next month of a system through which local councils will pool resources and benefit from money pro rata after costs to operate the enforcement system are deducted.

The council said in a statement that the pooling system was an adequate solution to cover expenses for the tribunal.

This confirmed that the authorities had recognised what the council had insisted upon in January last year.

The council also condemned the disparaging remarks in the statement by the Department of Information which, the council said, had even misquoted a message sent by the minister.

All that the minister did was congratulate the council on "a wise decision," the council said.