Valletta local council cannot finance the city’s upkeep due to a debilitating lack of funds, mayor Alexiei Dingli said.

“We have to foot a very high cleaning bill which doesn’t give us any respite to carry out capital projects,” Prof. Dingli said.

The mayor told this newspaper that the council had fallen behind on eight roadworks projects as well as a number of pavement replacement and other scheduled upkeep initiatives, as the council was strapped for cash.

Pending roadworks, he said, included the upper and lower stretches of Old Bakery Street, St Lucy Street, East Street, major parts of St Dominic Street, and others.

We have to foot a very high cleaning bill which doesn’t give us any respite to carry out capital projects

Back in August this newspaper had reported on the state of the capital of clutter, as Valletta started gearing up for next year’s term as Capital of Culture.

While millions of euros have been spent to restore bastions, fortifications and auberges around Valletta, piles of uncollected rubbish bags and other scruffy sights continue to irritate residents and visitors alike.

Asked about this, Prof. Dingli said it was a “chain reaction”. The council, he said, was spending about €480,000 on refuse collection and other cleaning services. This sum exceeded the amount that was allocated to the council to finance these services by around €200,000, he pointed out.

The result? The council’s finances were depleted well before it came to roadworks, pavements, and signage.  Despite this, the council was trying to finish roadworks, despite residents complaining that these were taking far too long.

Prof. Dingli said that once the roadworks were completed, the council would start focusing on the pavements – the cost of which was higher than in other localities because of the expensive materials used.

Last year the Times of Malta had also reported on inconvenient and irregular waste collection times in Valletta.

Bulky and unsightly refuse trucks were often squeezing through Valletta’s picturesque streets between 6 and 8pm when many restaurants and bars welcomed patrons. Prof. Dingli had said this too was the result of inadequate State funding as the council was unable to dictate refuse collection times to service providers due to its lack of finances.