Floriana local council complained that the Mall Gardens, “re-opened in July with much pomp after a multi-thousand lira refurbishment”, have been left to themselves and are today in a state of neglect.

Just days after the refurbished gardens were inaugurated, the council said, some of the lighting in various sections of the gardens started to fail and the gardens have been in total darkness for weeks. Neither has there been any floral embellishment, with the only plants having been planted only where the inauguration ceremony was held, which today have died.

What it all amounted to was taking the country for a ride and the squandering of public money, the council said. It added that the central government should devolve to local councils property which was not essential to it, together with the money needed to maintain it. It was not right for councils to end being criticised for shortcomings for which they were not responsible, it pointed out.