[Watch] Chris Said admits ‘few’ local councils used LES to their advantage

Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said admits that a number of local councils were pressuring wardens to issue more tickets to generate cash, prompting a revamp of the Local Enforcement System.

14 October 2011, 12:00am
by Miriam Dalli

1 min read

The parliamentary secretary responsible of the local councils, Chris Said, said that a number of local councils were using the local enforcement system as a means to generate money.

“There were some local councils who were using the system as a money-making machine,” Said said in an interview with Saviour Balzan on Reporter. “They wouldn’t take the money personally, but they would use the money to fund projects and initiatives, which is not the aim of the LES.”

He added that after deducting costs related to running of the system, including tribunal and clerk services little would remain of the money generated.

“With the new regulations, income from the tickets is handled by the Regional Committees, and it is the committee which decides how the money is spent.”

This, Said added, was to make sure that no extra pressure was laid on wardens to issue tickets, at times unnecessarily.

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Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...

More from Miriam Dalli

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xewka2011 the local councils have a choice. ** SCRAP THE LES SYSTEM BECAUSE THEY ARE MILKING DRY THE PEOPLE. ** OUR ANSWER WILL BE WRITTEN ON OUR BALLOT PAPER. ** WHO IS GOING TO START COLLECTING SIGNATURES FOR A REFERENDUM TO SCRAP THE WARDENS AND THE LOCAL COUNCILS?

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Local Councils are like the Govs (blood suckers). All they are interested in is money, money and more money. Another tentacle for the government. What are the Sliema Local Councilors doing regarding the : 1. hardships of the Sliema communters? 2. Why haven't they insisted that the 60 and 63 routes be reinstated ? 3. Why the senior cittizens have to walk all the distances to get a bus? 4. Why we either have to stop at the Ferries or the Holy Trinity Church? 5. What happened to the 116 bus? 6. Why the 110 bus isn't going through Dingli Street? 7. Why do we have to wait for hours for a bus to appear ? 8. Are Sliema residents entitled for a deceny bus service ? 9. Are the Sliema Local Councilors not interested in being re-elected? In 2009, only 64.8% voted forthe local council. I hope that in next LC Election no one goes to vote, because they are not interested in the wellbeing of their voters / locality.

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The question here is whether the government gives enough money to Local Councils to pay for the LES system. As far as I know, the government (Austin 'WANKER' Gatt) once said that the system would pay for itself, i.e., through the issue of fines. If the government does not issue money for the system the councils have no choice but to issue the fines to pay the contractors for the system. What Chris Said is saying is a load of BULL. My questions to Chris Said are, if the government does not think that the Local Councils are not running the system efficiently, why doesn't the government take it under its wings? Can Chris Said confirm whether the government provides money within the Local Councils budget for the keeping of system?

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From what I heard, the councils already have no right to tell wardens what to do. They can only make requests to the company who might then agree to the request, or then again they might not. The new regulations sound like a way for the party in government to take the money and give it out on corrupt contracts to their friends rather than having councils actually choose their own projects and suppliers.

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When is someone going to start collecting signatures to get rid of local councils and wardens?

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So Dr Muscat was right, after all.

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No Chris Said - you are incorrect. . The local councils are only applying legislation drafted by the MP's (ie PN). . ie Parking regulation scheme. .

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Local councils...a perfect exercise in wasting of money, money squandering and adding to the monstrosity of the national debt.

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People, when the local councils elections come vote for your party candidates and thenwrite your message on your ballot paper. ** This is the only way they will listen and the only way to get your message across to the political parties. ** They do what they want when they are elected. ** We do what we want when election time comes.