The council promised residents to serve people arriving at their offices within 15 minutes and to welcome them in a clean and welcoming office environment. The council also promised to answer telephone-calls promptly and to identify themselves when doing so.
People who write to the council can expect an acknowledgement within one working day, an initial reply within five working days and a final reply within days of the initial reply.
Moreover, the council promised to sweep and clean every road in the locality at least twice a week, to carry out necessary maintenance work on pavements and roads within one month from the receipt of a complaint and to recommend the Traffic Directorate to install traffic signs and
traffic lights where needed and after consultation with the residents.
The council also promised to make public gardens playing fields accessible to the disabled and to carry out maintenance work within one month from the receipt of a complaint. Other promises included the maintenance of public conveniences, the emptying of rubbish bins, door-to-door refuse collection, educational campaigns on recycling of waste, the collection of bulky refuse, the assignment of new street names, the maintenance of bus shelters and local enforcement, among others.
These are just a few of the promises in this Quality Service Charter, which is considered as a contract between the council and its staff and Santa Venera residents.
Commenting on this achievement, Santa Venera mayor Michael Caruana said this is one of a number of innovative initiatives taken by the council in the best interests of the residents it represents. He said the charter was being adopted in order to improve on the service the council provides to the locality’s residents.
Mr Caruana also remarked that while the council was promising to offer a high quality service to its clients, the residents, the council expected residents to treat the council members and its staff better and also expected more respect. Moreover, he appealed to residents to let the council’s staff work without pressure and to allow them to follow the correct procedures.
Justice and Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg expressed his satisfaction with the council for being the first one to sign this contract with its residents and urged other councils to follow suit. He said the council now had to embark on an information campaign to inform residents about the level of service they should expect from the council.
Dr Borg also spoke about the amendments to the Local Councils’ Act, adding that these amendments should be approved by parliament by the end of the year. He said the past 10 years’ experience with local government has shown that Malta is a better place, with these small governments taking responsibility for their area. He added that they have really made a difference to the country.