The Labour Party’s councillors’ section has expressed concern about the behaviour of the director of local councils, Natalino Attard, who seemed to be interfering more and helping the Nationalist Party and its councillors.

At San Gwann council on Thursday, the section said, a motion of confidence in the Labour mayor was presented, with the Nationalist councillors moving a counter motion of no confidence. On the other hand, the director told the council shortly before the meeting that the motion of confidence could not be moved. The agenda and the motion had been announced at least five days before.

The reason given by the director of local councils did not make sense, because the law specified only an ad hoc procedure for moving a motion of no confidence in the mayor, the section said. It seemed that the director had not been contacted by the executive secretary of the council so the MLP councillors’ section was wondering if the director was in direct

contact with the Nationalist councillors, to create

obstacles for the Labour councillors.

The director dealt differently with councils that had a PN majority, such as at Ghajnsielem, where the council had been allowed to employ an unqualified clerk without any action taken as laid down in law. But the director acted decisively where Labour councillors were concerned, even where his intervention was not necessary.