Sant accuses council of unfulfilled promises

Labour leader Alfred Sant yesterday criticised the Valletta local council for "not having delivered enough of its pre-electoral promises".

Dr Sant claimed the Valletta council, with a Nationalist majority, successfully completed just 55 per cent of the projects it had promised.

Only one road was resurfaced in three years despite promises that the council would embark on an extensive works programme to build roads and replace pavements.

Dr Sant said the council had said it decided to install railings on the stairs of Valletta to facilitate access for elderly residents. However, no railings were installed save for one staircase.

He also charged that public gardens, which the local council should maintain, were neglected. He mentioned Peacock Garden, situated near Mattia Preti Square overlooking the Marsamxett harbour, and said that a project to refurbish the garden, which included new paving and lights, had been shelved by the council.

"Nationalist councillors had said the government approved the park and ride project that was supposed to facilitate residents' parking but this project seems to have also been shelved," Dr Sant said.

In a statement, the Valletta council rebutted Dr Sant's allegations and denied it had abandoned the Peacock Garden project, insisting that an application had been filed at the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.

The council said the garden was one of four in Valletta which the local council was planning to refurbish.

"Works were successfully completed on Upper and Lower Barrakka. These projects cost Lm500,000," the council said.

A third garden, Hastings, was being refurbished in a partnership with the government, a project costing Lm300,000.

"Though the local council had a budget of about Lm300,000 a year, projects and services involving the council in the past three years amounted to about Lm3 million," the council said.

The Valletta council also listed the streets where new pavements were laid, stressing it had changed more than 5,000 square metres of pavements. According to the council, eight streets have been resurfaced, 25 lifts installed in government apartments and 80 per cent of all telephone wires were removed from the streets of Valletta.