The Labour Party yesterday went to Gżira and Siġġiewi and emphasised the educational, social and bureaucratic aspects of local councils.

In Gżira, Labour leader Joseph Muscat lauded the Labour-led council for reopening the library, upgrading the housing estates and opening an activity centre.

He said Labour candidates contesting the March election had three priorities: upgrading residential roads, ensuring the Midi consortium lived up to its contractual obligation to build sports facilities in the locality and cut bureaucracy for businesses in the area.

Labour deputy leader Toni Abela said in Siġġiewi that councils should not be an extension of government departments and must work to reduce bureaucracy instead.

The Labour comments elicited a strong reaction from the Nationalist Party that harped on the various government projects undertaken in the two localities.

The PN said the government had funded councils to the tune of €159 million over four years apart from dedicated funds to finance particular projects.

It criticised Dr Abela for failing to mention the day care centre for the elderly in Siġġiewi, a project between the PN-led council and the government.

The day care centre was at the centre of controversy two years ago as the building housing it used to be a PL club leased from the government. The lease was not extended after it had expired and Labour had to move out of the property.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.