Opposition leader wants to ‘make councils accountable’

Following an article he wrote in General Workers Union daily l-orizzont over the “racket” of the local warden system, Opposition leader Joseph Muscat said today “it’s time to shake up local government to ensure it is on the side of families.”

Writing in the PL’s e-newsletter, Muscat said Labour intends to present fresh ideas in the local councils elections - to be held in March – and, calling for new councillors, said “it needs fresh faces too.”

Referring to what he said in previous events,  Muscat wrote that he has made it “crystal clear” that he will not be supporting as candidates those people who see councils as extensions of government’s bureaucracy.

“There is no place for such councillors, present or aspiring, on our March 2012 local elections list.

I want to cut bureaucracy and make councils accountable.”

Muscat said the role of the local councils is to provide services that improve the living conditions of families in Malta and Gozo.

“The majority of councillors work hard in the best interests of their locality yet a minority take a bureaucratic approach, putting obstacles first and the interests of families second,” he wrote. “This approach weakens the whole system and discredits the work of the majority of councillors.”

He once again criticised the “serious lack of accountability of the monies received through the local warden and speed cameras systems”. He also criticised government for the unsatisfactory replies given in parliament over the issue and added the subject should be investigated.

Muscat said he was standing up to stop “this citizen-subsidised racket” and said that “no unspoken agreement" will stop him. 

He said that money should be invested in communities and not wasted on bureaucracy.