A proposal made two years ago to force cabby drivers to collect horse droppings before they hit the road is still waiting for the green light, despite warnings on the “exaggerated delays” to process bylaw applications.
Under the proposal submitted by the Valletta local council, a first-time offence would lead to a €100 fine, which could go up to €350 and a one-year prohibition from giving any services in the capital.
The only reply the council got was that the bylaw had been forwarded for the environment ministry’s consideration, mayor Alexiei Dingli told Times of Malta.
A government spokesman said there were no pending requests at the Department of Local Government.
“I can assure you that the Parliamentary Secretariat for Local Government has worked incessantly so as not to have any pending bylaws,” he said.
Nevertheless, he acknowledged that some bylaws could not be processed further, as “political direction” was required from the ministry. In addition, there were cases where proposed bylaws had been sent back to the respective councils for further information, the spokesman said.
Asked to clarify himself and give specific details on the decision taken for each pending bylaw proposal, the spokesman failed to reply.
Last July, the Local Governance Board, an entity set up as part of the 2010 local government reform, had chastised the government for the delay in processing bylaw applications. In a letter published to the media, the board had instructed the Director of Local Government to settle pending requests by the end of July, or else give a valid reason in writing.
This warning had been given in the wake of complaints from councils that the processing of bylaw applications had stalled beyond the deadlines established by law. In total, there were 24 pending requests, including one submitted by the Floriana council in 2011.
Though nearly two months have elapsed since the warning, very little progress was registered, with the Valletta council yet to learn about the final decision. Apart from the cabby bylaw, the Valletta council had also submitted other proposals on which no feedback was ever received, the mayor said.
These included bylaws to limit the noise from catering and entertainment establishments after 11pm and regulations to oblige property owners to carry out periodic maintenance on their facades.
The council had also submitted a request to establish minimum standards for waste-carrying vehicles, following an incident in which the road paving was damaged.
The Local Councils Act says the government has six weeks to present any amendments to a proposed bylaw. In the absence of any objections, the bylaw is then published in the Government Gazette and comes into force a month later, or earlier as agreed by the ministry and the council.
In its correspondence, the board had urged the government to follow this established procedure with immediate effect, while blaming the “bureaucratic system” in place and a “lack of coordination”.
This had become a source of frustration for local councils which were being left facing unfair criticism for failing to take action to curb certain abuses, the board had remarked.