Zejtun local council challenges Auditor General report claims

The Zejtun local council has claimed that contrary to what the Auditor General had noted in its 2004 report, it did not spend excessively on the community and on hospitality.

According to the council, the Auditor General made a generic statement that 21 local councils were deemed to have incurred excessive expenditure relating to the community and hospitality.

The Zejtun council was listed as having spent eight per cent of its annual allocation, that is Lm19,229, under the two headings.

This was a gross misinterpretation of facts and figures, the council said.

The amount spent on hospitality was Lm1,705. The other Lm17,524 were spent on family and community (Lm10,051), education (Lm3,329), youth and sport (Lm1,484) and cultural activities (Lm2,660).

The expenditure on education included Lm2,369 allocated to the refurbishment of and books for the local library.

The income generated from such activities amounted to Lm8,888. But the Auditor General stated that the revenue generated was Lm7,870. This was because whoever compiled the Auditor General's report missed the income raised under organisation of courses, the council said.

The actual expense on hospitality was 0.7 per cent of the annual government allocation. Community expenses amounted to 3.6 per cent. The discrepancy was due to the fact that the Auditor General did not deduct the income generated from these activities from the total expenditure.

"It is a pity and gross injustice that such misinterpretations have been presented to the House of Representatives.

"Indeed, the mayor and the Zejtun local council are insisting that, as an initial measure, the hospitality account should be separated from that of the community.

"This will give a clearer picture regarding financial management by local councils. It will also help to clarify matters, sift fact from fiction, and provide government administration, MPs and the public with an accurate audit report for the benefit of all," the council said.