The local warden system is in for a major revamp according to a proposed reform to be launched for consultation this morning.

The reform will aim to address the public perception that the local warden system is a money-making machine for private local enforcement companies, according to a spokesman for the parliamentary secretariat responsible for local enforcement.

“The public feel local wardens are not really there to help them but to make money for private companies. The reform will address this,” the spokesman said.

Since 2011, €10 million worth of citations were issued, of which €3.7 million remained unpaid

The reform will underline the educational role of wardens. It will not put at risk the jobs of wardens currently employed with any of the three private companies, the spokesman said.

Local wardens entered the Maltese enforcement landscape in 2000 when local councils were authorised to engage wardens, working for private companies, to enforce traffic and environmental laws.

Two years later, local councils started pooling their resources to engage wardens by creating joint committees to share the financial burden.

In 2009, the Nationalist government announced a reform to the warden system as part of the local council reform.

The changes came into force in 2011 with amendments that divided all local councils in Malta and Gozo into five regional committees. The legal power to engage local wardens was transferred from individual local councils to the regional committees.

But, the spokesman elaborated, despite these changes, a number of problems persisted. Local councils continued to struggle financially and large amounts of fines remained unpaid.

Between 2002 and 2011, when the regional committees were set up, €48 million worth of citations were issued, of which €8.6 million were never paid.

Since 2011, €10 million worth of citations were issued, of which €3.7 million remained unpaid.

Failing to pay a traffic ticket is not a crime, though pending fines will mean road licences will not be renewed.

This led to a situation where a number of vehicles on the road did not have a valid licence, he said.The figures also showed that the change to regional committees did not have the desired impact.

Moreover, the spokesman said, the 2011 reform did little to change the negative public perception of wardens. The situation was made worse by the fact

private companies pocketed a large percentage of the fines – 31 per cent pre-2011 and 40 per cent after that.