'Government subvention to local councils amounts to €360 million'

The government has allocated €360 million to local councils since their inception, and in this year's budget increased the amount by 17 per cent to €28 million, Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said told Parliament yesterday.

Winding up the debate on the Local Councils Act (Amendment) Bill, Dr Said said that during the last five months, local councils had submitted 70 applications to obtain €22 million in EU funds. "These are substantial amounts which have helped better the quality of life of those living in these localities," he said.

Dr Said also announced that the government would present amendments in committee introducing also the concepts of collaboration with the commercial community and supporting mental health patients.

The debate was healthy, with the opposition deciding to vote in favour of the Bill although with reservations. He expected the opposition to propose amendments in the committee stage.

Contrary to what the opposition had implied, there was nothing suspicious in the choice of local councils' elections schedule. The councils whose term of office had been extended by two years were six Nationalist and six Labour. He denied that the pattern of local council elections gave advantage to any party, saying these were to be held in alphabetical order according to the schedule annexed to the Local Councils Act.

The Parliamentary Secretary said that the changes to the role of the executive secretary were aimed at ensuring that councils adhered to the law and to financial regulations. The secretaries had to have security of tenure. The amendments were similar to those introduced by other EU countries and which did not infringe the European charter. An amendment would be introduced at committee stage specifying instances where the secretary could be removed.

Dr Said said that the regions - four for Malta and one for Gozo - would be defined according to the schedule. These were set up according to the population and the geographical boundaries. In future, government departments would work in collaboration with local councils by region.

The government was setting up administrative community committees as a result of the consultative process. Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, Burmarrad, Fleur de Lys and Santa Lucia (Gozo) were among a number of hamlets to benefit from this measure.

The government was to intervene in cases where local councils failed to perform their functions regarding collection of waste and the placement of bring-in sites in their localities.

Dr Said said that the local enforcement system was not being tackled under this Bill because it was to be reformed under a separate law.

The government had started this process and it was waiting for an extensive report on the performance of local enforcement since the inception of local councils. The aim was to bring discipline and order to all localities, and not necessarily to impose fines.

To perform better, local councils would be given 100 workers under the community work scheme paid for by the ETC. Other amendments included the right of citizens to seek redress where their complaints were disregarded by local councils.

Concluding, Dr Said said the Bill aimed at strengthening local councils while giving them more responsibilities, making them more efficient, transparent in their operations and accountable in the management of public funds.

Earlier, Mario Galea (PN) said local councils allowed people to express their opinions, and permitted those who genuinely believed they could make a difference to actively participate. He acknowledged the worthy contributions of the elderly as active council members and in various sub-committees.

If the PN had not contested the local council elections since their inception, they would have died a natural death long ago, as the parties played a crucial role in the election process. However, during the legislature, all parties cooperated for the benefit of the residents.

Mr Galea suggested that a councillor be entrusted with the role of safeguarding the needs of those with mental problems in the locality, because these suffered greatly due to the stigma imposed by society.

The various reforms aimed to create a one-stop shop for more effective, efficient and accountable local councils.

Local councils would open for a couple of hours on Saturday, to accommodate those who worked a five-day-week.

Mr Galea said the reforms also introduced the concept of a public-private partnership. Local councils would now be obliged to hold a referendum when seeking to acquire loans outlasting their term of office. The administrative committees in smaller localities would give the councils a stronger voice. The government was holding the right to intervene if it saw rampant abuse of finances.

Mr Galea concluded by thanking all those who had contested local council elections over the past 15 years, and the electorate, for their participation.

Stephen Spiteri (PN) said local councils had progressed from an experiment to a reality that worked, which meant the government could have left things unchanged. But stagnation led to regression.

All the suggested reforms were the result of a lengthy consultation process, which was not the first during this legislature. There had been no less than 20 such processes in the first year, including those on rent reforms and the National Youth Policy.

Analysis of the people's suggestions showed their main interests included cleanliness, better roads, strengthening of local identity and the set-up of a one-stop shop. These suggestions had been welcomed and taken seriously, to offer a better service.

Speaking of the various reforms in the Bill, Dr Spiteri said local councils would be more accessible, with weekend opening hours. The reforms also gave local councils the tools to work for sustainable development. Residents could contribute to a better environment by adopting renewable energy measures and helping in waste management initiatives.

Local councils could contribute on a social level, but they needed human resources, financial resources and training initiatives. There would be training for elected councillors and for executive secretaries, so that they could become better acquainted with the system. There would be increased transparency and accountability, to minimise cases of abuse.

The Bill was unanimously approved in second reading.