Local councils should use EU funds - Sant

Opposition Leader Alfred Sant yesterday urged Labour councillors to focus their activities on what was relevant to their communities and to inform people of their work in a way they could understand.

Dr Sant made his remarks when concluding a seminar - organised by the office of Labour MEP Joseph Muscat - on how local councils can make use of EU funds.

Dr Sant said EU funds could help local councils improve the quality of people's lives. And it was important that councillors were "on top of technicalities" so that they could access the funds available to them.

He added that the Labour Party was continuing to insist that council funds should be used efficiently and Labour-run councils should give priority to social issues.

Mr Muscat said EU funds were not the monopoly of the central government and no discrimination against Labour-run councils would be tolerated when the structural funds were distributed.

Neither would it be acceptable for funds earmarked for the private sector or NGOs to end up in the government's hands.