Local council members are set to benefit from a childminding scheme when in meetings, the Local Government Ministry announced Saturday.  

In a statement, the ministry said the new TagħnaTfal (“our children”) financial aid scheme would allow local and regional councils and the Local Council Association to provide childminding services during meetings. 

Announced on the occasion of International Women’s Day, the ministry said the initiative would help council members balance family responsibilities while encouraging equal participation in local government. 

Addressing a group of female councillors, Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government Alison Zerafa Civelli highlighted the challenges facing working parents, adding it was “one of several measures” designed to address the issue.  

Minister Owen Bonnici noted that the number of female councillors had increased by five per cent compared to the previous council legislature, saying that while it showed there was progress on gender representation, there was “still more to be done.”

While the number of female councillors incresed slightly in last year's elections, the number of female mayors fell.

Only seven of Malta’s 68 local councils are now led by a female mayor, including Birkirkara, Għargħur, Mqabba, Santa Luċija, Xewkija, Żejtun and Żurrieq.

When the previous local council elections were held in 2019, 11 localities had elected a woman to lead the council.

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