Brooms in hand and shovels in tow the Sliema council members will on Saturday descend on the town’s streets to start sweeping away residents’ biggest concerns – dust and dirt.

Let’s get our hands dirty and help out

Sliema mayor Anthony Chircop said during house visits in the run-up to March’s local council elections residents kept broaching the lack of cleanliness in the locality.

“We wanted to be effective straight away by getting everyone involved. It’s useless to just complain. Let’s get our hands dirty and help out,” Mr Chircop said.

The town – popular with shoppers, diners and tourists alike – also has a disproportionate share of construction sites being developed, which add to the grubby environment.

So in a bid to be proactive the council has organised a campaign – ‘Let’s be smart... Tas-Sliema Bla Skart!’ – that will run for three consecutive Saturdays, starting from May 12, from 8.30 a.m. onwards. It is being organised in collaboration with the Resources Ministry, the Cleansing Directorate and Green MT.

Councillors will be rolling up their sleeves and going through different streets with brooms and shovels, accompanied by the directorate’s workers, to clean up the mess. A bulky refuse truck will also be part of the ‘parade’ giving residents the chance to throw away their unwanted rubbish, be it an old TV set or a fraying armchair, accumulating at home.

Mr Chircop said while cleaning the streets, the councillors will be taking the opportunity to listen to residents’ complaints, while raising awareness on issues such as Recycling Tuesdays and Fridays.

He was surprised by how many residents still took out their rubbish on Friday – one of just two days when the recyclable waste in grey bags was picked up.

This initiative comes just one day after the council issued a statement saying it was adopting a zero tolerance policy against unruly developers whose cranes breached permit conditions.

It was also meeting developers and architects with projects in Sliema to highlight their obligations and discuss permit conditions.

If developers failed to come in line the council was reporting them to the Building Regulations Office. It also urged residents to report any abuse.

In the past weeks, Sliema, particularly Sir Arturo Mercieca Street, has been in the headlines for the rampant construction projects underway and the number of cranes dominating its skyline.

“The situation in Sir Arturo Mercieca Street is very bad and we empathise with residents. We are doing what we can,” he said.

Mr Chircop said the council, which had been dissolved following two years of internal bickering and criminal investigations, was fully aware it had just one year of work before it faced another election.

“We have to look at what is of major concern to the residents and address them in the best way possible,” he said.