The Local Government Reform has been officially launched by Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government and Communities Silvio Parnis.
“The 25th anniversary of local government offered the appropriate opportunity to undertake an in-depth assessment of the sector and to embark on a reform built on decentralisation and greater autonomy for our local government,” he said.
“After an extensive period of consultation with the Opposition, local councils, regional councils, and with all the entities related to local government and residents living in Gozo, and the south and north of Malta, we are now in the final stage and are seeing this reform come to fruition,” said the Parliamentary Secretary.
He explained that the aim of this reform is to strengthen both local and regional councils. This reform is expected to deliver in the social sphere, so that no person is denied the opportunities or the services offered.
In this regard, Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Parnis said that the reform is to “secure an improvement in the quality of life for everyone, including senior citizens and persons with special needs. There is also a need to deliver more, in terms of both quality and quantity, in relation to cultural events, sport and education, thereby ensuring that no one is excluded.”
He said that the main changes by means of this reform are:
• “The regions These now have specific roles and increased tangible responsibilities, as well as the necessary resources to carry out their functions.
• The Social, Educational and Community Sector Local councils will begin to offer more the best possible service whilst supporting and assisting citizens, particularly in the social and educational spheres. Such initiatives would strengthen the sense of community.
• Administrative Committees The functions of the Administrative Committees shall be reinvested in the respective local councils. The respective administrative committees will be dissolved but the communities shall remain.
Now a councillor will be entrusted with the responsibility for these communities and for this purpose set up a subcommittee, so that their requirements would be taken into account in each local council meeting. By means of this reform the communities will have a vote within the local council.
• Local councillor responsibilities In order for councillors to perform effectively within a local council they are going to be assigned responsibility for matters falling within the ambit of the local council.
The responsibilities to be assigned to local councillors are – cleanliness, the environment, youth, sport and physical activities, innovation, infrastructure, projects, the elderly, education, culture, communities, social aspects and the protection of animals.
• Increased youth participation By means of this reform, youths aged 16 can contest in local elections.
• Increased local citizen participation With a view to strengthening and enhancing effective local citizens’ participation in local government operations, citizens will be invited to contribute to the Work Plan during the first three months of the new local council legislature.
• Strengthening of human resources Investment in human resources will be required in order for regional councils and local councils to function more efficiently and effectively.
Regional councils and local councils will be given greater autonomy with regard to the number of employees they recruit. Employees should have opportunities for promotion; an incentive to perform better knowing that the quality of their work is being acknowledged.
• A name change for the act The Local Councils Act is now renamed as the Local Government Act in recognition of the importance given to the concept of local government.
• Amendment to the Maltese Constitution In 2001 a new chapter was added to the Maltese Constitution, the highest law of the country, which recognises local councils as a form of local government in our country. This clause will be amended in order to reflect the concept of local government which will be composed of two levels, the regional and the local.”
Photograph: DOI/Pierre Sammut