The uncertainty that local councillors and candidates had been facing is finally over. Though elections for a number of councils had to be held this year, a delay had been proposed and councillors and candidates remained in the dark even if the Prime Minister had said they would definitely take place this year. Now we know the local elections will be held on April 11.

The long time it took to confirm the date is disrespectful to both councillors and candidates but also reveals a sense of unpredictability that ill-considers communities.

A recent editorial in this newspaper highlighted some points which may be in order to make local councils more effective.

It is strongly recommended that elected councillors and the administrative staff of councils should undergo compulsory training in laws and regulations so they can provide a better service to their community. It seems that the problem here is who should be tasked with providing such training.

Local councils have been re-inventing themselves since their inception and any type of reform that would further empower councillors is always welcomed. Unfortunately, despite the monumental efforts towards decentralisation and subsidiarity, local councils still endure a great deal of frustration when needing to effect plans and projects that depend on central government departments for processing and the approval of papers and applications.

This dependence on the establishment more often than not causes lengthy delays, undermining the citizens’ confidence in their council. Since councils are composed of candidates elected on party tickets, it is also the responsibility of our political parties to ensure that councillors can work effectively to safeguard such confidence.

Further decentralisation here should be the order of the day. However, for this to happen effectively and for the taxpayer to get the maximum benefit, one should keep in mind that any type of structural reform should also consider the fact that, in our local councils, it is only the mayor who receives a full monthly allowance per capita of the local population while councillors receive biannual honorarium.

I raise this only because I sincerely believe that there exists a reality whereby some local council members work far beyond the call of duty while others barely merit their honorarium.

With the right amount of funding, recognition and empowerment, local councils can make a difference

This disparity of productivity among local councillors should be addressed in any proposed reform, possibly by introducing a two-tier system for elected councillors who could be offered the possibility of either opting in or out of (a) providing a service on the current basis of an honorarium or (b) engaging in council work on a full-/part-time basis with set remuneration dependent upon performance.

This should at least set the right tone for elected councillors to encourage them to perform more and to attract more people to contest local elections.

Obviously, funding will always be a challenge, however, if this government truly believes in local councils and in their ability to improve communities then it should inject funds at councillors’ level rather than higher up where results are, at times, barely to be seen.

With the right amount of funding, recognition and empowerment, local councils can make a difference in people’s lives and ensure happier, healthier communities.

Unfortunately, at the moment councillors are far from feeling so positive about their performance and contribution to their localities. The last Budget saw a drop in local allocations, civil service performance has pushed mayors into knocking on minister’s doors to get things done (or maybe this is intended) and elected councillors in nearly half of our communities had to face a long period of uncertainty as to whether they will be re-elected or not.

In a country that is constantly harping on the need for the electorate to trust and respect politicians, one would rightly expect that, at least, aspiring candidates are constantly informed when voting will be held so they can work on their campaign strategies. Remaining silent on the scheduled date of local elections may be convenient to the government but can be very detrimental to communities.

Such uncertainty affects plans and projects and also discourages the best people from coming forward. The sort of uncertainty we have just witnessed is not the right attitude to foster if we are to put local councils on stronger foundations and in a better position to be more effective.

Citizens and taxpayers rightly expect a service but how can the best service be given when election dates serve more as pawn in the government’s campaign strategy than in respect of term of office?

info@carolinegalea.com

Caroline Galea is a PN local councillor.