A new study among southern region residents has revealed low satisfaction with local councils and an even lower satisfaction level with the regional council, with not many being aware of their representatives’ roles.
Only slightly more than a third of respondents – 37.1% – in the study carried out by the Faculty for Social Wellbeing at the University of Malta, said they were satisfied with their local council. Less than a third, 32.1%, were aware of councillors’ roles.
And while 53.8% were aware of the regional council they pertained to, only 17.84% were satisfied with this entity.
Asked what could possibly increase their level of satisfaction with regional councils, respondents mentioned the need for them to better communicate their role, listen to and act on concerns of the residents, and contribute to better upkeep of the locality.
Many believe the remits of local councils are much wider than they actually are, possibly unrealistically skewing the expectations of residents
For the study, the Southern Regional Council (Reġjun Nofsinhar) also commissioned the faculty to assess the residents’ perceived quality of life, liveability and social integration of their locality, and their awareness and knowledge of their local and regional councils.
A telephone questionnaire answered by 420 people (margin of error ± 4.9%) showed that the majority of residents (59.5%) were satisfied with their locality as a place to live. Meanwhile, over 53% of residents seemed to feel that there was a high sense of community.
Santa Luċija residents exhibited the highest satisfaction, with Marsa people being the least happy with their locality as a place to live.
Still, three-quarters of the respondents expressed dissatisfaction with traffic and parking, and 61.6% with noise and air pollution. Residents in the lower age groups were the least satisfied with public and green spaces, with the 36 to 45 age bracket tending to be the most dissatisfied (53.5%).
On the other hand, satisfaction with schools in the locality (61.6%), religious activities (56.7%), and accessibility in the area (55.7%) were also recorded.
Seven out of every 10 participants view the level of integration of the elderly as being high, followed by that of people of different cultures. On the other hand, people with a disability were perceived to be the least integrated.
Do residents know their councils’ role?
Only around a third of respondents said they knew a fair amount or a great deal about the role of local councillors.
The largest percentage of the age groups who had little or no idea of the role of local councilors was 47.7% of residents aged 18 to 25. On the other hand, 43.7% of residents aged 26 to 35 felt they knew a fair amount or a great deal about local councillors’ roles.
A relatively high percentage incorrectly believed that waste management (79.3%), road infrastructure (57.6%) and projects administration (65.5%) were responsibilities of local councils.
The report said the results indicate that many believe the remits of local councils are much wider than they actually are, possibly unrealistically skewing the expectations of residents.
Local councillors' feedback
Meanwhile, when asked for their feedback through focus groups, mayors and local councils flagged lack of civic pride and community participation.
They also expressed concern over heightened bureaucracy between the local and regional councils and other governmental entities, which they said often made it very difficult for such entities to operate efficiently.
The study report makes several recommendations, including a policy reform that would allow mayors to hold office on a full-time basis.
It also suggests sufficient funds and resources for the upkeep of the locality, most especially when it comes to cleanliness, greening of the locality and open spaces.
Councils should also have increased autonomy over local matters through the devolution of certain functions such as local enforcement.
Additionally, local councils should be consulted over projects undertaken by central government to ensure that “real issues and needs of the locality are taken into consideration”.
The report also suggests the setting up of an office in each locality that caters for foreign individuals residing in the area. In a similar vein, there should be orientation sessions for new community members, including Maltese moving to the locality from other villages or towns to facilitate integration within the community.
Who are the people in the southern region?
The region is made up of Birżebbuġa, Għaxaq, Luqa, Qormi, Gudja, Ħamrun, Marsa, Żejtun, Marsascala, Marsaxlokk, Santa Luċija and Santa Venera, hosting a total resident population of 106,593 in 2021 – 17.59% of whom are non-Maltese. This is an increase of 19% since 2011, according to national data.
While all localities registered an increase in their population except for Santa Luċija, Marsascala was the locality with the highest increase.
According to National Statistics Office data, Birżebbuġa has the highest percentage of foreign nationals living in the locality - 28.92%.
Most of those who participated in the study - 24.3% - were aged 66 and over.
Qormi had the highest number of respondents (17.1%), followed by Żejtun and Marsascala (11.2%).
What do non-Maltese residents think?
In view of the ever-increasing presence of foreigners, data was collected from representatives of the top seven nationalities residing in this region: Italy, India, the Philippines, the Syrian Arab Republic, the UK, Serbia and Somalia.
Representatives said that overall, foreigners seemed to be satisfied with their localities, with the major pull-factors being rental rates and presence of other community members. Concerns were flagged about traffic, parking and garbage issues, among others.
The majority of foreign community members were unaware of local and regional councils, with only Italians, Filipinos and Indians mentioning that their communities knew, were satisfied and participated in the events of such councils.
The research was carried out by Prof. Andrew Azzopardi as project manager, Dr Maria Brown as principal investigator, and Maria Giulia Borg, Stephanie Bugeja and Ruth Mifsud as research support officers.