Labour-led councils will fight bureaucracy and introduce transparency, party leader Joseph Muscat promised yesterday.
Unveiling the party’s electoral manifesto for the March 10 local council elections, Dr Muscat said Labour-led councils would start a pilot project to improve transparency by opening sittings, where contracts are adjudicated, to the representatives of the public.
The representatives would be chosen after a public call issued by the council.
Dr Muscat said Labour-led councils were binding themselves to organise public consultation meetings before final decisions are taken on government or council projects which could affect them.
Particular emphasis, he said, would be placed on improving the roads and ensure proper upkeep, within the constraints of the councils’ financial allocation. They would also work on improving the infrastructure of housing estates.
The councils would study the possibility of forging public-private partnership to provide childcare facilities in their localities.
He also promised the setting up of forums in each locality for regular meetings with businesses aimed at reducing red tape and creating employment opportunities.
Dr Muscat said councils would work on outreach services for the elderly, keeping a watchful eye on those who lived alone, while safeguarding their right to privacy.
In this context, the councils would work on the installation of CCTV cameras in their localities to improve security, again within privacy safeguards. The cameras would not be cash-cows but serve as a deterrent.
Dr Muscat said the councils would promote environmental initiatives and lead by example by making council offices self-sufficient from an energy standpoint, through the installation of renewable energy systems.
He said that Labour-led councils would improve their customer care service with clear protocols which stipulate that residents would be given a reply within five days on how their complaint was being tackled and whether action was within the council’s remit.
Regular meetings would be held with schools and other organisations, including the police, to tackle problems in schools, such as bullying.