Sliema Council will discuss the locality's controversial parking scheme with the parliamentary secretary for local councils, Jose' Herrera, tomorrow, Mayor Anthony Chircop said this afternoon.
The meeting will come on the day which the council had designated as the end of a three-week deadline to reintroduce the scheme - which was suspended by the government.
Earlier this week the Mayor had warned that the scheme would be re-introduced unless there was progress.
However he said this afternoon that the council was in no rush and would not reintroduce the scheme tomorrow, pending talks aimed at an agreement with the government and Transport Malta.
Tomorrow's meeting will be the first between the council and the government since the scheme was suspended.
Mr Chircop said talks would also be held with Transport Malta but no date had been set yet as arrangements were being made for Transport Minister Joe Mizzi to be present.
Earlier this afternoon, the Malta Union of Teachers said that it would issue directives to teachers in Sliema if that locality's local council reintroduced the residents' parking scheme.
It had called a strike of a few hours before the scheme was suspended three weeks ago.
In a reaction Mr Chircop criticised the union for not clarifying the situation with the council before issuing its statement.
He said that should the council decide to reintroduce the scheme, it would give the public enough notice.
The Times of Malta yesterday quoted Mr Chircop saying that the council was adamant that it will re-introduce the suspended residents’ parking scheme if no agreement was reached with Transport Malta.
Mayor Chircop said the council had invited Transport Malta to make proposals on improving the controlled parking scheme after it was suspended following a Cabinet decision. TM was given three weeks to come up with the proposals, a period which expires tomorrow, said Mr Chircop.
“We offered a period for contacts but unfortunately none have taken place. I am still hoping TM will grant us a meeting by then.
“But if we continue being ignored, we will carry on with the implementation of the scheme once all our papers are in order and once TM had already given us the green light to implement it.
We must change this mentality that we expect everything for free
“We are legally correct,” Mr Chircop said when contacted.
A spokesman for the Transport Ministry said: “Transport Malta sticks to its position, which reflects the decision taken by Cabinet, and which was announced on May 7.
“The Sliema council, once again unilaterally, said it was postponing the scheme for three weeks. That is not TM’s or the Government’s position.”