The Nationalist Party said that the Labour government considers Local Councils are just a 'rubber stamp,’ as the signing of an agreement which is to safeguard the Floriana Granaries after events occur, was done without the approval of the members of the Floriana Local Council.
In a statement, the PN said that in recent days, “we witnessed an episode where two Ministers posed for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the protection of the Fosos in Floriana. The signing, however, was in violation of the Local Councils Act. It was done without the approval of the members of the Floriana Local Council.”
It said that this agreement was signed between the Department of Restoration and Preservation, the Lands Authority, and the Floriana Local Council.
The PN said that the Memorandum of Understanding was presented in recent weeks as a draft bill, in response to nearly eight years of insistence by Nationalist Party councillors in the locality, following a motion regarding the protection of local squares, particularly the Granaries.
This motion was presented by Minority Leader James Aaron Ellul with the support in recent years of Justine Palmier.
“The signed agreement was not a proper agreement because the Nationalist Party councillors requested several amendments and clarifications of what was in the MoU. This, however, did not happen, to the detriment of the protection of the Granaries and the locality of Floriana.
The PN said that government thinks of Local Councils as just a 'rubber stamp', continuously bypassing the Local Councils, disregarding any discussion that could have taken place, and ignoring what was proposed by the residents and the local councillors.
The PN said that the party established Local Councils and has proposals to strengthen the authority of the Local Councils to improve their work as the centre of the community.
Among these are three points that will be the focus of the Nationalist Party's work in every locality, in light of the fact that each locality has a specific electoral program that addresses its individual interests and needs.
“With the government's arrogance, it is becoming increasingly clear how crucial it is for the people in every locality in Malta and Gozo to give their first preference to all Nationalist Party candidates,” the PN said.