PM indicates areas of local councils reform

The Prime Minister this evening launched a process of consultation ahead of reform of local government - 15 years after the first local councils were set up.

He told a meeting for mayors and councillors at Castille that the government wanted to see greater coordination between the central administration and the councils so as to improve living standards and ensure sustainable development.

It was also important that the councils were accountable and transparent, that they were efficient, and they yielded value for money.

It needed to be ascertained that the practices followed for the allocation of funds to the councils produced the best results.

Dr Gonzi said the consultation should consider how councils could contribute towards an improvement of the environment and the tourism product. Also up for discussion were cleanliness, public order and discipline, which extended beyond traffic discipline.

He said the reform should also include easier access to access EU funds by the councils, and ways how the councils could work closer together on a regional basis.

The consultation process is to be headed by Dr Chris Said, Parliamentary Secretary for Public Consultation within the Office of the Prime Minister, and himself a former mayor.