Council for Malta’s south plans to boost region’s quality of life

The Consultative Council for the South of Malta was inaugurated this evening in a meeting chaired by Labour MP Silvio Parnis, at the Ministry of Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties.

The council, which was founded only a few months ago - and falls under the remit of the environment ministry - aims to improve the framework of sustainable development in the south of Malta, with the intention of bettering the quality of life for people living in the area.

Parnis, who got elected with 978 first-count votes from the 4^th district in 2013, met with various mayors and local council representatives this evening to discuss ways and means to "give a boost to Malta's southern regions".

"The aim of this council is to analyse what challenges the south of the country faces, resolve issues that can be resolved, and ultimately give a boost to this region," Parnis said.

The chairman said that the council will aim to create projects which can give southerners pride and a better quality of life, highlighting, as an example, the fact that there were very few hotels in the south of Malta,.

Parnis also called on local councils to partake in the running of the council, adding that they could "contribute greatly" to such plans.

"I know for a fact that local councils are constantly thinking of new projects for their localities. And we want to be a medium through which these ideas can be expressed," Parnis said.

When quizzed as to what his thoughts were on the recent Social Impact Assessment statistic which revealed that 91% of Marsaxlokk residents were against the gas storage facility on a ship moored in the locality's harbour, Parnis said that he was not technical enough to speak about the issue until a health and safety report was published.

"Only then, will it be prudent to comment on the matter," he said.