Time to reform local government

Local authorities are the closest and most accessible form of government to citizens. Due to their closeness to the community, local governments are the first to adapt and respond to the people’s needs. The EU rightly emphasises the crucial role of local authorities and civil society organisations in achieving a more democratic government.

Most EU member states are moving toward devolving some of the central government’s roles and responsibilities to local government authorities. Malta is moving in the opposite direction, with the central government reducing local councils to glorified notice boards of the central government. All the local councils can do in most cases where local issues affect the lives of the community is to complain and protest. 

A typical example of how local councils are rendered toothless happened when the then minister responsible for local councils vetoed the effort of the Naxxar local council to restore some order in the access to public land on the shoreline of Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq. 

Of course, today’s garbage crisis affecting most localities is another shameful example of how local authorities have been emaciated, rendering them incapable of catering for the fundamental right of citizens to a clean environment.

In the last decade, the Labour administration has followed a policy of the concentration of power in the hands of central government officials, who are often chosen based on party loyalty rather than competence. This has made citizens’ desire for more open government at the local and national levels unachievable. 

"It is time for the government and the opposition to address the growing dissatisfaction of many citizens with the current political system by defining their plans to promote more open government at the central and local levels"

This must change. Local authorities must be empowered to take on responsibility for delivering a wide range of services in the local area, focusing on making our towns and villages and the countryside attractive places to live and work.

Local authorities must be given a meaningful say in matters that affect the community in the area they are responsible for.  

Such responsibilities could include planning of the urban and rural environment, roads and transport, community services including waste disposal, tourism, public gardens and open spaces, environmental protection, and arts and culture. Local authorities must also play a key role in supporting economic development and enterprise at the local level and help shape the country’s strategic vision.

For a more empowered local government system to succeed, local councils must be supported financially to ensure they have the professional management skills to use their resources effectively. 

It may be necessary to group small local councils in adjacent localities to achieve some economies of scale that can enhance effectiveness in using human and financial resources. 

Some present local councils serve relatively small communities and may never have the right management skills and resources to serve their community as well as they should.

A reformed local government system can help councils introduce innovative tools to engage and empower citizens. They can be authorised to raise funds through local taxation that is introduced subject to strict accountability criteria with embedded checks and balances to ensure that taxpayers’ money is used judiciously.

The empowerment of local government authorities is the next stage needed to upgrade the public governance framework that has been so weak for so long. 

It is time for the government and the opposition to address the growing dissatisfaction of many citizens with the current political system by defining their plans to promote more open government at the central and local levels.