As is common knowledge, the Cabinet meets once a week to discuss government business. During this legislature these meetings take place on Tuesday mornings at the Prime Minister’s Office in Valletta. However, this government has also taken the bold step of engaging with local communities by holding cabinet meetings away from Castille.

Last year cabinet meetings were held in the five regions of Malta and Gozo, and the same is being done this year. One might think that they are merely publicity stunts or gimmicks but nothing can be further from the truth than this.

The opening up of cabinet meetings to local councils is a tangible sign of two facets of this government; that it holds public consultation as a paramount calling and that it fully embraces the principle of subsidiarity, that is the precept that decisions that affect people most, should be taken at the level of government which is closest to the people.

This government’s calling is to be a ‘government that listens’. What better form of listening to the people is there than to engage with them at the highest level of government to discuss issues with elected representatives at the level which is closest to them? I feel that this form of engagement takes the principle of subsidiarity to a new level, as the mayors have the opportunity to take their concerns, projects and aspirations to the highest level of government, an opportunity previously unavailable.

Shorter travelling times will help us lead calmer life and maybe spend more time at one of the afforestation projects recently inaugurated

The requests made at these meetings involve a lot of inter-ministerial coordination. Usually, councils address their residents’ concerns and requests to individual ministries. During these cabinet meetings, councils can take such issues to an inter-ministerial level. Thus, Cabinet is the ideal forum for such requests to be made, as this model fully incarnates the interaction between local and central government and how this interaction can be facilitated in order to achieve results for the benefit of our communities.

The latest of these cabinet meetings with mayors took place last month in Birżebbuġa. The mayors of the localities of Qormi, Żebbuġ, Siġġiewi, Birżebbuġa, Għaxaq, Ħamrun, Kirkop, Luqa, Qrendi, Santa Luċija and Żurrieq were present.

Cabinet had already met with these councils last year and during this meeting we touched base on issues which the councils had raised at the previous meeting. There were issues that were resolved, while others had not yet been fully wrapped up.

Successfully resolved issues included requests for increased police presence, the road resurfacing to complement the completion of an EU-funded project, illegal dumping, use of abandoned land, local enforcement, financing and increasing safety measures in a very busy road.

There are other issues that are being examined in order provide an equitable resolution to all parties involved. The welfare of our communities has been at the heart of this initiative as they are the ultimate beneficiaries.

Our communities are also the ultimate beneficiaries of the government’s initiatives aimed at the improvement of their environs. This government is committed to reinvigorate our communities through capital projects that will have a beneficial effect on the regeneration of certain areas which were neglected in the past. The south of Malta is a case in point.

Following Cabinet’s meeting in Birżebbuġa, the Prime Minister visited the new waterpolo pitch currently under construction. The pitch and the new football ground in Birżebbuġa form part of a €3 million project, which I spearheaded during my tenure as Parliamentary Secretary for Research, Innovation, Youth and Sport.

There are other major capital projects in the pipeline which government is undertaking. The first that comes to mind is the gas-fired power station in Delimara which will alleviate the burden of pollution from the surrounding communities. The regeneration of Dock No. 1 in Cospicua, the Nwadar Nature Park, the investment concerning the American University of Malta, the regeneration of Marsaxlokk and the Qajjenza area and the investment in the Floriana public gardens will undoubtedly make a positive, direct contribution to the communities in the area. As will the initiative to upgrade public spaces announced in this year’s budget.

There were other initiatives. The new Coast Road was rebuilt to improve the flow of transport to and from our northern communities. The same objective is expected to be achieved with the Kappara Junction project.

It is common knowledge that traffic volume is increasing the levels of stress of our population, thus a better flow of traffic and shorter travelling times will help us lead a calmer life and maybe spend more time at one of the afforestation projects recently inaugurated in Mġarr and Mtarfa.

This is a government that both listens to the people and takes positive action to improve the lives of our communities. This government has the welfare of the Maltese and Gozitan communities at its heart. It is a government which is deeply committed to bringing about a positive change to raise the standard of our communities.

Stefan Buontempo is Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government.