I believe that if one takes a look at the daily life of citizens it would emerge that it is highly affected by decisions taken at local level. The work done by local councils is therefore essential for the actual social, environmental and cultural progress of our localities. The role of the local government is to build a sustainable community which is able to provide sufficient and effective services to its members. This should be based on the notion of good governance where a local council provides effective leadership and holds good relations with other local councils.

In spite of the fact that no academic background is needed for a person to get elected in the local elections, I firmly believe that an elected councillor should be given the necessary training. Councillors should have support in order to take decisions for the good of the community and therefore adequate support should be given to councillors in fields such as decision making, complaints handling, staff selection, meetings management, budgeting and laws directly relevant to local councils. This will lead to more accountability and transparency.

From my limited experience as spokesperson for local government (I was given this post by the new Labour Leader, Joseph Muscat), I have come to the conclusion that mayors and councillors do not in fact have a free hand to act in the best interest of their locality. For instance, I hear a lot of complaints about ADT and MEPA. I suggest that within the Department of Local Government a desk should be set up where all these authorities are represented and thus the department becomes a one stop shop for local representatives. I believe that complaints should be submitted by the local council, not the individual councillors, who, after all are doing this job voluntarily. Should the Local Government Department not like such a proposal, I believe that the local councils should try to create such a desk on their own initiative.

It is my stalwart view that the time is ripe for a code of ethics for councillors and mayors. Also the roles of the executive secretary, councillors and mayors have to be better defined. One of the Labour Party’s proposals for local council reforms was to have courses under the patronage of MCAST and ETC in order to provide the councillors and mayors with the knowledge and skills they would need in order to cope with their work. It is very important that the councillors’ academic background is enhanced and enriched. It is imperative that a councillor has the necessary stamina which will ultimately lead to the benefit of the locality in which he or she works.

There is a solid need to hear the citizens’ voice and to try to give our citizens a sounder say in the running of the country in a clear and transparent bottom-up approach. This is after all the basis of the principle of subsidiarity.

It is through this that we can secure that the citizens of our local communities are secured a strong voice. No one better than they knows the particular needs of the localities in which they live.

The Malta Labour Party urges everyone to put the interest of the locality before that of one’s personal interest. The Labour Party is right now undergoing a consultative process in order to achieve a leap in quality via which we can address the running of the local council. This will in turn lead to an improved way in which social and environmental problems are addressed. The Malta Labour Party is also taking it upon itself to listen to minor communities in our society.

It is our duty, both as citizens and as Christians, to listen to minor communities so that no one will be left behind. It is through this that we will be able to enhance the community feeling and it is in this area that the local councils should be felt the most and have the potential to be felt the most.

In conclusion, it is my salient view that our country is facing environmental and social problems. I believe that local councils should delve in the arena created by these problems in order to come up with solutions and should therefore be highly geared up to do so.

It is my sincere wish that all the resources of the localities such as sport centres, schools and recreation centres should be run in a professional way. Also, local councils should be informed about the advantages offered by the European Union and experts should help the councils in this matter.

In light of all this it is fundamental that the central government and the local government work closely together to provide us all with a better future.

Dr Stefan Buontempo is MLP spokesman for local government