“Local Councils should assume the role of interested parties in national projects and be informed and proactive by coming up with suggestions and alternatives," Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government, Stefan Buontempo said.

Addressing a conference entitled E2Stormed organised by the Local Councils Association as part of an EU-project of the same name in which the Association partnered with several European entities to investigate the problems and opportunities of water management, Dr Buontempo appealed to local councils to refrain from being passive in the face of national projects and insisted that they should be involved in such projects as a token of their loyalty to the locality that they manage. He explained that several Local Councils realised this, especially in the sector of water management, as floods caused by rainwater negatively affected several localities. 

“As a token of this Government’s resolve that Local Councils should be innovative, proactive and sustainable, a number of EU Officers were engaged at regional level in order to help Local Councils to successfully apply for, and receive, EU funding, a process which is notoriously bureaucratic and laborious,” said Dr Buontempo. Furthermore, he explained how the reform in the sector will lead to the setting up of a research unit for the benefit of regions and local councils.

The Parliamentary Secretary appealed to Local Councils and Regions to be proactive and embark on initiatives for the benefit of their localities, provided that they are certain to finalise them and are sustainable in the long run.

“Be interested and informed parties in national projects. Do not be afraid to suggest alternatives. Become partners with central Government, for this is a receptive Government and one that is open to ideas,” concluded Dr. Buontempo.