Valletta mayor Alexei Dingli wants the capital’s local council to be moved to the Café Premier premises. Photo: Darrin Zammit LupiValletta mayor Alexei Dingli believes the premises housing Café Premier should become the seat of the city’s local council.
“We had already been allocated the Main Guard as our official seat but the government changed its plans. Since then, we have not been offered any alternative. The government now has a golden opportunity to make up for this and give us the Café Premier,” Prof. Dingli said.
His request comes after the government announced the formation of a new working group “to consider the best use of Café Premier”.
In every European capital city, he said, the local council normally occupied one of the most prominent buildings. However, in Valletta, the council operates from a small office in South Street.
In 2012, the government had agreed to rehouse the local council in Main Guard, St George’s Square, while the office of the Attorney General was set to move to new offices in Republic Street.
However, these plans changed when Labour came to power.
Now government has the chance to give Valletta a proper office
The government terminated the agreement with the local council in order for the AG to continue using the Main Guard, as the building in Republic Street was turned into the offices of Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis.
“Through a unilateral decision by the government and without any consultation, we were left without alternative premises. We have come up with new proposals but have not been given a reply,” Prof. Dingli said.
“Now the government has the chance to give Valletta a proper office for its local council. We deserve it and the people of Valletta deserve it,” he said.
Café Premier was re-acquired by the government after a controversial bailout of a private company – Cities Entertainment Ltd – to the tune of €4.2 million. The National Audit Office had harshly criticised the deal.
The government had justified its decision by stating that it wanted the premises to be used by the National Library. However, last week it announced the setting up of a working group to receive ideas from the public on its future use.