Money saved from the decision to postpone local elections will be re-routed towards the councils’ coffers, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said yesterday.

Though no further details were given on this special fund, Dr Muscat said last year that each round of local elections was costing taxpayers around €2.5 million.

Though this year’s elections would be held as planned, the 2017 poll has been postponed to 2019. In this way all local elections would be held in one round, together with the European Parliament election.

The government is considering what additional powers could be devolved so that councils would have a bigger say

Dr Muscat was addressing a special Cabinet meeting held at Dun Mikiel Xerri Hall, Żebbuġ.

During yesterday’s meeting, mayors from the southern region were invited to make short presentations highlighting the most pressing needs their localities were facing.

In his reply, the Prime Minister noted that most of the issues involved infrastructural upgrading such as for roads and open spaces.

“Though the government has its own priorities, we will be also looking at problems such as those involving residential roads,” he said.

Dr Muscat said the government was considering what additional powers could be devolved so that councils would have a bigger say on issues impacting their locality.

One such initiative would be to give councils a seat on the planning authority board in cases concerning major applications in their respective locality, Dr Muscat said.

He promised that Cabinet had taken note of all the issues raised and that councils would soon receive feedback.

Earlier, Żebbuġ mayor Alfred Grixti called for a 10 per cent share from vehicle licence fees, as well as trading licences, including for monti hawkers and encroachment permits issued in his locality. He argued that this would provide a much-needed additional source of revenue for the council and open up the possibility to implement its ambitious plans.

These included the devolvement of the Żebbuġ Rangers football pitch to make way for a new home for the elderly. To compensate for this, the council is proposing the construction of a new sports complex in the village outskirts. Siġġiewi mayor Karol Aquilina proposed to refund councils a share of the tax they were paying on essential services.

He also floated the idea of revising the budget allocation formula and for the government to forward its financial allocation by a number of years to allow more long-term planning.

Qormi mayor Rosianne Cutajar urged the government to consider the re-introduction of timed parking to free up more spaces for residents especially in industrial areas. She called for tighter bakery inspections and possibly a government schemes to encourage the installation of chimney filters to reduce pollution.

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