Update 2: Government confirms Sliema council is to be dissolved
The government confirmed this evening that it has started the process to dissolve Sliema council. The development was first revealed by deputy mayor Cyrus Engerer, who wrote on his facebook wall that he had been informed that the council was being...
The government confirmed this evening that it has started the process to dissolve Sliema council.
The development was first revealed by deputy mayor Cyrus Engerer, who wrote on his facebook wall that he had been informed that the council was being dissolved as of this evening, and an election would be held on March 10.
At the time, the mayor, Johanna Gonzi, said she had not been informed that her council had been dissolved.
Later, she said on television that she was not surprised by the government's decision, given what had happened within the council. She noted that several councillors had turned independent when people had voted for them on the party ticket. Furthermore, as the government's report showed earlier this month, the council was shown not to be functioning well.
Mr Engerer said the government was claiming there was disagreement among the councillors.
The truth was, Mr Engerer said, that the Nationalist Party had lost its majority in Sliema and could not do the 'favours' which it normally did before a general election.
Had it been true that the council was being dissolved because of disagreement among the councillors, why not also dissolve parliament, in view of the disagreements among Nationalist MPs? he asked.
Earlier this month, the government warned that it would dissolve Sliema local council unless it resolved long-standing issues.
The Director for Local Government in a report and a formal notice to the council mentioned investigations carried out by the Internal Audit and Investigations Directorate (IAID) on various irregularities and noted that most allegations had been confirmed.
The former mayor, the former executive secretary, the former deputy executive secretary and a number of council members were involved in the cases. The former mayor and other councillors were even taken to court.
The Local Government Department had said it had monitored council meetings and had concluded that the council was unable to function properly.
There were disagreements between the councillors and several efforts to improve the situation proved futile, it said.