The opposition wants to see an ombudsman set up for local councils, youths over 16 years of age becoming eligible to vote in local elections, and more real support for councils from both the government and residents.

Setting out what Labour would like to see in the real reform of local councils, opposition spokesman Stefan Buontempo told Parliament on Tuesday it would be wrong to belittle their efforts. They were currently at a crossroads where many residents were appreciative of their work, but many more were still sceptical.

Progress had been achieved but soon gotten used to, and more was expected, especially in the way of more effective response to residents' needs.

To date, the lot of local councils had been one of limited powers accorded and a lack of importance attached to them by government departments. Residents' needs were as great as they were difficult to achieve. And with all the reforms envisaged, it would still require a hitherto-unseen sense of government commitment and coordination.

Local council reform could yet lead to a strengthening of moral texture, but new values must be based on ethics for each councillor to achieve high levels of resident satisfaction. For the past several years the effect of important aspects of community life had gone disregarded.

There was a need to develop a new dynamic approach for equality of opportunity, with the right incentives for all talents; a need of balance between individual and public needs while letting personal abilities develop through education. To date, society had not cared enough to allow such initiatives to achieve the greatest possible targets.

Dr Buontempo said everyday life showed there was still a lot to do in towns and villages, but no matter how much local councils tried, too much was still taken on by central government. On the other hand, it was not enough to expect government and council to do everything; certain things, such as a helping hand in public cleanliness, must be done by residents.

There would be no quality leap in councils' accountability or residents' participation just by starting council meetings in the evenings. The changes being envisaged would call for much greater commitment and much more work. But how could local councils be held to account when the central government itself was failing so badly in its own many areas?

The country needed a modern infrastructure overall, and the political class must encourage a feeling of enthusiasm for local and public efforts. It was hoped that the local council reform could yet get politicians to roll up their sleeves and work better with local councils, with less superficiality.

Dr Buontempo said Labour was committed to making the reform honest and effective, but it was still not convinced of the commitment on the government's side. Being self-centred was an example of what not to do in serving a community.

If residents were losing faith in councils' performance, everyone - not just the councils - had a piece of blame to shoulder. One and all should examine their conscience, not to apportion blame but to understand better and win back residents' trust.

Unfortunately, the proposed reforms were still allowing local councils' structure to remain fragile, even through lack of resources.

Their responsibilities had devolved piecemeal, with government departments escaping their own responsibilities. There was also a lack of government incentive for private contractors to serve local councils well.

Dr Buontempo said the main challenge of the proposed reforms was to see how the executive would go about new duties. Unfortunately the executive secretary was being turned into a super-person, with too long a list of duties. Visitors to a council must find a one-stop shop, but a detailed examination of the reforms showed no prospects of real gain for residents. The reforms should present a new opportunity for local councils to be a veritable platform for the fulfilment of residents' aspirations.

The government was obviously short of the necessary preparation for this exercise. Clearly a lot of work had been hurriedly done without recourse to a national plan. It was good for local councils to be more conscious of their possible role in tourism, but lack of synergy among government ministries would be a stumbling block.

Dr Buontempo said the Bill was only a small step towards the ultimate goal. More ideally it should have been the subject of a White Paper following public consultation, but the way and the time it was being brought for debate only gave the perception of a government with its eyes more on the upcoming local council elections than anything else.

There were some points in the Bill that the opposition agreed with, while it would want to debate others. Labour was looking forward to this exercise with principles of good counsel and logic, rather than emotion or partisanship.

Political initiative must always seek the best for residents. Local councils' real role could only be achieved if local wardens' efforts and initiatives were more directed towards effective order on roads, rather than collecting moneys in traffic fines. Each aspect of responsibility should be made very clear to both councils and residents. The council should have the best possible help and support in all human and logistic resources needed.

Very importantly, youths over 16 must be allowed to vote at local council elections, and there should be an ombudsman for local councils. Their autonomy must not be eroded, and more efforts must be brought to bear to encourage the widest possible participation of residents. Fragmentation of efforts would do untold harm.

Dr Buontempo said that for a local council to function well it must be helped by a well-armed executive who, once it became really effective, must execute the political role within legal parameters.

Continuous training would be needed for councillors' effectiveness, updated with best practices for the best possible results. Unless there was widespread change, there could be no real improvement in sight for local councils.

Nationalist MP Philip Mifsud said the Bill reflected a process of consultation carried out over a number of months involving all stakeholders. It strengthened the position of councillors and, at the same time, made the council more accountable to its residents. Moreover, a number of amendments were aimed at instilling discipline in the management and administration of the council.

Mr Mifsud welcomed the proposal for extending the term of office of councillors from three to four years as this would give the council adequate time to implement its work plan.

He greeted the rejection of a proposal to link the local council's election with any other election, such as that for the European Parliament. This strengthened the importance of the council's elections. As of 2012 elections for local councils would take place every two years and this would also ease pressure on the electorate who today was subjected to about three months of annual electoral campaigning.

Mr Mifsud noted the introduction of regulations which clearly set a framework for the settlement of a number of issues which have in the past given rise to difficulties. For example, the Bill regulated the selection of the mayor in those circumstances where two candidates who obtain most votes and represent the same party obtain equal votes in the election.

The Bill also strengthened the position of those councillors who are in minority and also gave them the right to call an urgent meeting where and when required. This would help nip difficulties in the bud and ensured that issues are addressed in time.

It would now be obligatory for local councils to meet between 5.30 and 7.00 p.m. where they did not unanimously agree otherwise. Such meetings would not take more than three hours. This did away with the strategy that has at times been used when meetings were called in the morning thus excluding those councillors who could not leave their place of work.

Mr Mifsud said the role of the executive secretary was important and could be considered similar to that of a financial manager, obliged to control the expenditure of the council and, where necessary, provide the initiative to the council to implement projects.

He commended that the executive secretary would now be chosen from a pool of qualified persons deserving of such a post. This role could only be done freely where the employment of the secretary was safeguarded. Today this was not the case as he required the approval of the council for renewal of his contract of employment and also for his performance bonus.

The local council would now also be obliged to publish on its website the approved minutes of its meetings which would be making them accountable to residents and subject to their scrutiny. This together, with other measures provided for under the Bill such as the imposition of fines on the council, would ensure transparency and scrutiny of its work.

Other speakers were Labour MPs Carmelo Abela and Charles Buhagiar and Nationalist MP Frans Agius. They will be reported tomorrow.