Siggiewi Council plans to expand the locality's civic centre have been dealt a blow after an encroachment permit to allow the adjoining Labour Party Club to keep using part of the council's rented property was 'secretly' renewed.

The permit was extended to August 18 next year against payment of €1,000 to the Lands Department. Siġġiewi mayor Karol Aquilina said the council was kept in the dark about it.

The council was allocated the premises by the Lands Department in 2010 after the Labour Party club was evicted at the end of its lease. 

At the time, the PL accused the then Nationalist government of reclaiming the property for partisan motives. Following lengthy negotiations, a compromise was reached and the PL retained a small part of the building with a separate entrance for five years until it found an alternative location.

This arrangement included an encroachment permit that expired last August.

A spokesman for the Parliamentary Secretariat for Planning said the renewal of the encroachment permit was made under the same terms as per the agreement dated August 19, 2010 plus an increase to reflect inflation.

A Labour spokesman gave a similar reply when contacted: “The encroachment permit in question was made on identical terms as the one granted by the previous administration.”  

Dr Aquilina lashed out at the government accusing it of “secretly” granting itself public property which was already leased to the council.

“This is not only an illegal, abusive and corrupt action but also constitutes a new and gross injustice on the Siġġiewi community,” he said.

Dr Aquilina added that the PL was once again disregarding the needs of the community and acting in a selfish manner.

“I will do whatever it takes to reclaim what rightfully belongs to the whole of the Siġġiewi community,” he said.