Prime Minister Robert Abela, during the ceremony for the swearing-in of Local Councillors from 68 localities across Malta and Gozo, said that local councillors are the key collaborators in the changes that need to be made as a county. He also said that as the agents of change, councillors will provide improvements in the lives of the people in the community. 

The Prime Minister’s statement is a strong one, but in order for councillors to truly be agents of change, the government needs to not erode their powers further, and give councils the ability to make effective changes in their localities. 

Before the local council elections took place, this newsroom had mentioned the opportunity for a dicsussion to take place on the future of councils, on what kind of powers they should have going forward. However elements of such a national discussion were minimal during the campaign. 

But looking forward, if Abela truly means what he says, that councillors are agents of change, then the government needs to give them more tools to use. This means more than just viewing them as a consultation forum when it comes to major plans for a locality. 

It is good that government agencies and entities open up calls for councils to propose projects which would then receive public funding, and this should definitely continue. As a result of such projects, buildings and historic sites have been restored for instance. But local councils should also be able to immediately deal with certain complaints put forward by residents for instance, and not have to direct people to central authorities for small issues. The government should consider giving councils the ability to carry out some form of enforcement in minor cases, such as when it comes to people breaching waste regulations. To do that, the council would, of course, need some wardens or enforcement personnel to again be placed under their control. 

If powers are centralized, then that makes it harder for action to be taken at a local level on minor issues, whereas if local councils have the power to take certain action, then complaints by residents could be addressed faster.

Then there is the question as to whether councils should have more control over planning applications, especially when it comes to mega developments that can change the face of a locality. Is it fair that local councils, representing residents, can get easily outvoted?

What about waste collection, is it right for a locality with a large population has the same number of bag pickup days as a locality with a tiny population? These are issues that need to be addressed.