The opinion expressed by Siggiewi Mayor Karol Aquilina during a cabinet meeting on Monday – that local wardens should fall under the direct responsibility of local councils – is the Nationalist Party’s official stand on the matter, PN Spokesman on Local Government David Agius told this paper.

(See link to Monday's story here)

Mr Agius said the PN had put this proposal forward at a press conference back in June of last year, during which the party outlined its position on the White Paper on the Wardens Reform. 

Mr Agius had said at the time that the PN believed the management of the local wardens should not be the sole prerogative of the government through a central unit. Instead, it suggested that local councils should retain some powers along with a specialized unit with the “cautious” involvement of the private sector.

Decisions such as where to deploy wardens and the number of hours should be decided by the democratically elected councils and not by a centralised government unit. Any profits from the wardens system, this should go to local councils.

Mr Agius had told a press conference that the private sector should still be involved but to a lesser degree than present and wardens should be periodically rotated across different regions to minimise abuses. The number of wardens should also be determined by the size of the council.

A centralized unit – composed of representatives from the government, local councils and the private sector - would be responsible for employing and training wardens, dealing with complaints and drawing up work rosters. It would also be responsible for a pool of wardens who would be assigned additional work, such as one-off events, rather than being assigned to a particular council.

The Malta Independent on Sunday revealed in its latest edition that the government has embarked on a U-turn and wardens will not be transferred under the responsibility of a government-appointed central unit, effectively nationalizing them. This had been one of the key proposals set out by the White Paper, when it was launched by Parliamentary Secretary Jose Herrera. The government’s stand on the issue inexplicably changed after Parliamentary Secretary Stefan Buontempo assumed responsibility of the Local Government portfolio. Dr Buontempo has failed to reply to questions sent by this newsroom.

Currently, the Local Enforcement System is managed by the five regional committees grouping all local councils in Malta and Gozo. These committees contract the services of wardens, who are employed by two private companies, one much bigger than the other. The system has, however, often been described as a racket because these private companies depend on tickets and fines to survive. Local Councils have been struggling to pay their due amounts, often resulting in instructions to increase the number of tickets issued.

 

The government’s plans to ‘nationalise’ local wardens could have spelled the end of private companies, but a reliable source told this paper that the government has changed tack, apparently having given in to pressure from the private sector.