Local councils should have a say in the approval of development applications that fall in outside development zones, the Local Councils Association believes.
Among its proposals for the reform of local councils, the association is suggesting that councils have a vote on the Malta Environment and Planning Authority's board discussing the application.
In a 10-page document outlining proposals aimed at enlarging the role of local councils, the association is also suggesting that applications which only require a development notification order should become the councils' responsibility, although both the applicant and Mepa's case officer would have a right to appeal the council's decision before the authority.
When contacted by The Times a spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister, which is responsible for Mepa, said the proposals will be passed on and looked at as part of the Mepa reform which is currently underway.
The proposals, unveiled during a press conference yesterday morning, placed a lot of emphasis on the need to increase funding for local councils, which, according to association president Michael Cohen, is still not enough.
In fact, he said, despite their sterling work, local councils receive less than three per cent of government expenditure.
"If we want local councils to evolve, we need to give them more funds to work with," Mr Cohen said.
The association would also like to see a special fund for councils which would be administered by a committee set up between the association and the government.
He pointed out that instead of carrying out projects - like roadworks - itself, the government could pass on the money to local councils which would be responsible for the work. The association president sounded confident that the councils would not go over budget, but would in fact save money, adding that any money saved should be kept by the council to be used for similar projects.
"I am not scared to give more responsibility to local councils," he stressed.
He also insisted that the time has come for councils to raise money from taxation, adding that the councils, and not insurance companies, should have been given the responsibility of issuing road licenses.
The association is also proposing to give councillors allowances for expenses they incur while carrying out their duties, and turning the mayor's post into a full-time job.
The proposals will be discussed during a meeting for mayors next week. During the meeting, the mayors will also discuss Labour leader Joseph Muscat's proposal to lower the voting age to 16, starting from local council elections.
Some of the proposals of the Local Councils Association
• Special funds should be allocated to local councils over a five to seven-year period. The funds will be administered by the association and government.
• Local council elections should take place every four years, or even every five.
• The association's executive council should be appointed every four years, rather than every two.
• Local councils should develop a human dimension through the devolution of social services.
• Government should set up a €1 million fund for the co-financing of projects funded by the EU.
• The maintenance of primary schools should become the responsibility of local councils.
• The responsibility of transport systems in localities should pass from the Malta Transport Authority to local councils.