Updated | Nationalist mayor rebuts Labour councillors’ accusations

San Gwann mayor Etienne Bonello DuPuis has accused Labour councillors of focusing on petty issues after the councillors said were not informed of a scheduled visit made by junior minister José Herrera.

Earlier this week, PL councillors Joan Farrugia, Rita Saliba, Trevor Fenech and Malcolm Abdilla said they had not been invited to attend the press conference.

"Us not being there might have led some to think that we refused to attend the conference. Truth is that we were never informed Herrera would be visiting the offices," they said.

In an apparent reference to the Nationalist council, they added: "We hope this incident doesn't repeat itself again. The local council is made up of nine, and not five, councillors."

Reacting, Bonello DuPuis said he was more worried about the staff's welfare and how the local council would continue offering its services to the residents, "rather than calling councillors to come and pose for photos with the parliamentary secretary".

The Nationalist councillors were however present for the press conference which took place last week. Herrera visited the premises following the collapse of a ceiling at the council's premises.

Referring to the new civic centre in San Gwann promised by the previous Nationalist administration, the Labour councillors said it had been in the pipeline for over a year but no concrete action was taken for its implementation.

"The agreement, carried out by former minister George Pullicino, said that the council would pay around €80,000 from the urban improvement fund and pass on the money from the sale of the current premises to the same ministry. This means that the project would have been financed by the local council and not by the then Nationalist central government."

The current premises, which suffered a ceiling collapse in one of its offices, were bought in 2000 for circa Lm200,000 the Labour councillors said.

But according to the Nationalist mayor, the original asking price was of Lm115,000 and bought for Lm97,000.

Bonello DuPuis said it had been an independent councillor, who then switched to Labour, who proposed the council agreed in principle with the offer. The proposal was seconded by Nationalist councillors and both parties agreed.

He also denied the house had been bought despite it had been condemned.