Speaking at the launch of the Green Party's local council election campaign, chairperson, Dr Harry Vassallo said that in 2007 the Green Party was committed to build on its achievements in previous years in improving the quality of local democracy.

“Having served myself as a local councillor in my home town, I have every reason to beleive that Green councillors bring a completely new dimension to the localities they serve” Dr Vassallo said.

“Apart from the wealth of experience and expertise in such matters as planning, public health and environment they bring with them to serve their friends and neighbours, they are always a brake on partisan pique enhancing cross-party cooperation where it exists and setting up an opposition to discourage zero-sum politics on a local level” Dr Vassallo said.

“Unfortunately the conduct of politics has made many very valid people reluctant to serve on local councils and this is not helped in any way by the exploitation of local council elections as some form of annual survey of the political state of the country” Dr Vassallo said.