The Siggiewi council this morning moved into its new premises – the former Labour Party Club, which the PL vacated two days ago.

The council will be turning the former PL club into an administrative centre with offices accessible to people with a disability. It intends to create within this building a day care centre for the elderly.

Deputy mayor Carol Aquilina, who spearheaded the drive for the council to take this historic property into its hands, said that a planning application will soon be submitted to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.

An application by the Housing Authority for another day centre for the elderly at an alternative site is expected to be amended.

The PL has moved into the former council offices following a long drawn saga which saw the party evicted from the clubhouse, transferring its operations to the former council offices.

Lands Parliamentary Secretary Jason Azzopardi confirmed this morning that the PL was given the former council offices on an encroachment basis for five years.

It would be paying around €700 per annum for first three years and around €1,000 for the last two years. For its former property, it used to pay around €1,500 per annum.

The council will be paying €3,000 per annum for its new premises.

Dr Azzopardi said that the request for the PL to be given temporary alternative premises came from the party and mayor Robert Musumeci was the intermediary.

After a series of discussions, reason won.

“The government was assertive but not aggressive, decisive but not arrogant. It wanted to retain the high moral grounds, allowing reason to win for the benefit of the community,” he said.