Local councils have been reduced to customer care offices, Nationalist MP Robert Cutajar has lamented.

The PN spokesman for local councils told the Times of Malta that mayors and constituents were feeling demotivated, since they saw their powers removed as well as funding cut.

The government’s budget surplus is not being invested in local councils, leaving mayors and constituents demoralised and discouraged, he said.

“If you actually believe in local councils, then give them greater funding.”

Mr Cutajar lambasted the fact that local wardens were now regulated by the Local Enforcement System Agency (Lesa) rather than by the councils.

He said the Lesa system was failing and called for increased enforcement in communities. “We heard of greater police recruitment, but people simply are not feeling protected,” he said.

Mayors across the board have criticised the Lesa move, Mr Cutajar said, adding that local councils knew the needs of their communities best. 

The PN suggested “community policing” in a document with proposals for local council reforms. It suggested that every locality should have a number of policemen on duty round the clock. “The policemen should be assigned to a specific locality and should not be able to move unless for a justified reason,” the party said.

Mr Cutajar also said local councils should be given greater respect and importance in issues such as building permits.

“What is the point of giving local councils a vote at the Planning Authority if they are going to be outnumbered?” he asked. “If we believe in local councils, then we need to give them the rights they deserve,” he added.

The document on local council reforms was presented 25 years after local councils were first set up in Malta, Mr Cutajar said, adding that the document had been presented to the government.

The shadow minister called for a one-stop shop community centre offering social services within the local councils.

This proposal had been brought up over multiple administrations, he said.

Mr Cutajar has lamented in a press conference regarding local councils that mayors were hit by bureaucratic elements they found difficult to face.

“For example, residents have woken up to works outside their doorstep, and the local council would be caught entirely unawares,” he said.