Council to reopen its doors

The Birżebbuġa local council is to reopen its doors from today following an assurance by Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said that the pending issue over the appointment of a new executive secretary will be resolved on Monday, mayor Joseph Farrugia said yesterday.

The council has been working behind closed doors since Monday in protest over what it called delays by the Office of the Prime Minister to authorise the engagement of a new executive secretary.

The action resorted to by the council meant residents could not collect or fill in various forms or pay bills and fines.

The government said yesterday that the director of the Local Councils Department had told the mayor that the closure was unlawful and unjustified. He called on him to open the doors so that the employees could serve the public.

The government also pointed out that the council submitted the name of a person to be appointed executive secretary on June 12 but failed to provide documents to prove he was suitably qualified in terms of the law. Because of this, the appointment could not be approved.

It was only this week that the required reference letter was received, the government added.