Public landscaping will remain in the hands of the Environmental Landscapes Consortium (ELC) until the whole process of a public tender is concluded, the government said.

In August, it emerged that more than half of Malta’s local councils would soon end up without a contractor to landscape gardens and public areas after the consortium informed them of plans not to renew its contracts.

The consortium’s public-private partnership was initially due to expire at the end of the year, with workers at the time claiming they were still in the dark about their future.

Last month, discharge letters were issued to more than 100 employees, informing them they would no longer be needed as of next year. The letters were withdrawn soon after, following government reassurances that their jobs were safe.

It is being ensured the service is maintained

But contacted about the issue following reports the contract had once again been renewed, a spokesman for the Environment Ministry said the government had “entered into discussions with ELC to ensure that the service being provided is maintained for such a period until the full process of the public tender is concluded”.

“A call for a public tender incorporating new terms and requirements for the embellishment and landscaping services across Malta and Gozo will be issued in due course, considering also the remarks made by the Auditor General in his report on the referred contract,” the spokesman said.

First established in 2003, the ELC is a consortium led by Calamatta Landscapes and Polidano Group.

A report by the National Audit Office in 2017 had found that the deal with the consortium, which has cost the government more than €100 million over the years, was extended when it should instead have been dissolved due to contract breaches.