Opposition leader Bernard Grech hopes the government will tackle people's deteriorating quality of life in Monday's Budget. 

Speaking on the Nationalist Party's NET FM a day before the Budget is unveiled, Grech said that the government has a duty to ensure that its economic plan for the coming year tackles issues that are impacting people's quality of life. 

"We want facts. We want the government to tell us how it will cut spending, how it will help those in most need and how it will help people live a good quality life. For people to move forward, there needs to be a solid economic plan. You cannot have a government that has been in power for nine years to realise its economic plan had failed only now. 

"I expect and hope that tomorrow we will hear from the finance minister not just an admission that the economic plan was not the right one but also what will be done moving forward, Grech said. 

The PN leader said he also wanted the government to address the "divide between the wealthy and those who were struggling".

"The government is only after short-term gain for its own people. I hope that tomorrow, we truly hear about efforts to improve people's quality of life," he said. 

Grech said that the PN's pre-Budget document was drafted after lengthy consultations with experts, social partners and the public. The document, he said, is based on giving people more than just the minimum, as is often done by the government, he said. 

"Look at work-life balance, the government went for the minimum possible and waited until the last day for implementation," he said. 

The PN, Grech said, also wants the government to lay out a clear plan for its economic decisions and urged it to come up with new sectors.

Grech also spoke about meetings he held over the past week with farmers and journalists. 

"We promised we will be consulting people and that is what we are doing," he said. 

On meetings at a local level, Grech said he is repeatedly being told that the government is "destroying" local councils by reducing funds and taking away powers. 

"We were told that councils have become customer care offices for problems created by the government. We want to address this as we believe in the importance of local councils," he said.