Parliamentary secretary for the Local Government Alison Zerafa Civelli said that the government must look into why people opted for independent candidates in the past local council elections, while maintaining that this will not affect its work for the local councils.

The Malta Independent on Sunday spoke to Zerafa Civelli, a month after the elections which saw the Labour Party win again, but losing the majority in several councils to the PN. Labour’s lead has also been cut by more than half, from a 47,000-vote majority in 2019 to one of 20,000.

For the first time in Malta’s electoral history, there were five dead-locked local councils in last month’s election, due to independent candidates or groups. Birkirkara and Floriana are the two localities in which, at the time of writing, no common ground has been found on who will be appointed mayor.

Asked if this creates difficulties in administration, and whether this affects the way the government looks at local councils, Zerafa Civelli said that government will continue looking at local councils beyond their political colour or whether they are led by an independent mayor.

"As a parliamentary secretary, I always see to it that I help all local councils, as they are representing the people, and the people must be taken care of from each aspect,” irrespective of who has the majority, she said, adding that her work is committed to all local councils.

This time, more independent candidates were elected, Zerafa Civelli said. She continued that while this will not affect government's work, the government must also look into why people opted for them.

In localities where neither of the two major parties obtained a majority of seats, Zerafa Civelli said that this is followed by a discussion to reach an agreement on the mayor.

When asked what happens in circumstances where there is disagreement on who should be appointed mayor, as there is in Floriana and Birkirkara, Zerafa Civelli said ideally, an agreement is reached between the councillors in that locality.

Discussions are also held between the parties and those involved as well, she said.

"I believe that once Labour, Nationalist and independent councillors find their place in the council, an agreement, a compromise will be reached, and they will set aside their political colour to work for the locality's best interests," Zerafa Civelli said.

Asked how she looked at the election’s results, she said that she viewed the results in a positive light, describing it as “satisfactory”.

"However, we must also read the messages sent to us by the people. Wherever we need to improve, we will see to it that we will," Zerafa Civelli said, adding that the government will provide more help when approached with an issue highlighted by mayors and councillors.

She continued that the government will continue to listen to the main stakeholders within the local government, but will also understand the message the public sent.

A bill that was passed in Parliament late last year made it possible for 16-, 17-year-olds to become mayor or deputy mayor in last month's local council elections, yet none of the youths that age obtained enough votes to make it that far.

There were, however, three 16-, 17-year-old candidates who were elected as councillors in their respective localities, Nina Skye Briffa and Gabriel Borg Ferrando on the Nationalist party's ticket, and Izak Catania De Giovanni for the Labour side.

Asked if the bill was enough to attract more youths into politics, Zerafa Civelli said that the aim of the bill was to amend the law, to be able to allow these young candidates to assume the role of mayor if the people gave them the highest number of votes.

She referred to the 2019 Local Council elections, where 16-year-olds who received the most votes were unable to become mayors in Gharghur and St Paul's Bay due to legal restrictions. This meant that the people's choice could not be represented, she said.

"With this law, we saw to it that the people remain sovereign. If the people choose a mayor who is 16 years old, the law cannot be the thing which impedes this decision," Zerafa Civelli continued.

Looking at the youths who participated in this past election, Zerafa Civelli said that there were several youths who came forward, with the youngest mayor elected being Xewkija's Simona Refalo, who is 19 years old.

"If you ask me if I am satisfied with the number of youths who came forward, I would say no, as we always want more youth participation, as well as increased participation by women," Zerafa Civelli said, adding that the parties must work to attract more youths and women to politics.

"I believe that if the list of candidates is presented in a better way, meaning having more youths and women, then the people would have more to choose from," Zerafa Civelli added.

Several mayors who were elected last month were mayors before or have had prior experience in local councils. Some have even retired or are soon to retire. The parliamentary secretary was asked if this has an effect on the local council's roles.

Zerafa Civelli said that there is now a good mix of mayors with experience who were already elected and new candidates who were elected mayors for the first time. She said that each locality has its story, and that she believed that if mayors work in favour of the residents and the locality, their work would be truly acknowledged by the residents, who can then vote for them in elections once again.

"If there were shortcomings, then the residents will have the choice to consider new candidates. This reflects the work of the mayor within the locality's council," Zerafa Civelli said.

She was asked about the regional government assuming more responsibilities from local councils, such as waste collection.

On domestic waste collection, Zerafa Civelli said that this is still the responsibility of the local council, but due to economies of scale, the contract is issued by the regional council, assuming responsibility over the contract.

"We must remember that the role of the regional council is not the same as that of the local council, as the regional councils were created to help the local councils that work directly with the residents," Zerafa Civelli said, adding that the regional councils help the local councils on domestic waste collection.

Residential street sweeping and bulky refuse collection are also under the local council's responsibility, and have remained so, she said, adding that nothing has truly changed, except for the fact that the regional council is responsible for the tender due to economies of scale.

She was asked about criticism suggesting that domestic waste collection was managed better before the regional council took over. "It did not turn out that that is so. In fact, we have also conducted a scientific study on what people think, which is yet to be published, which resulted that the majority of people are satisfied with the domestic waste collection service," Zerafa Civelli said.

Zerafa Civelli was also asked about other powers which the regional government absorbed from local councils, and on criticism that local councils have been reduced to "customer care".

She disagreed that regional councils took any powers from the local councils, and said that the roles are different, as explained by the law.

Zerafa Civelli said that local councils are even more relevant than before, and the results of the past election show that the people still want the local councils, through the number of those who voted.

"Certainly, I want this number of participants in the election to increase, as if I, as a resident, do not choose myself, then someone else will choose for me," Zerafa Civelli said, adding that local councils are here to stay, and residents must be the ones to choose their representatives.

She mentioned government projects and initiatives launched in collaboration with the local councils in the heart of communities, saying that Malta has local councils who work tirelessly for the good of the community, which goes beyond a "customer care" service, and the people acknowledge this.

Asked about the government's plan for the local councils in the next five years, Zerafa Civelli said that in 2022 a consultation was launched with the main stakeholders of the sector, meaning mayors, deputy mayors, councillors, executive secretaries and all workers within the local government, as well as with entities working with them, such as the police and others.

This was held to listen to their opinions and concerns in the sector, and to discuss plans for the local government until 2030, she said.

Stakeholders then expressed their opinions and concerns on government's consultation document, which led to the government's new document, the National Strategic Vision for Local Government, Zerafa Civelli said.

"The strategy we launched was exactly what the stakeholders told us on how we should move forward," she said, adding that the strategy is up to 2030.

"After last month's election, I will continue working with my team, with the associations and executives to see that this vision continues to be implemented," Zerafa Civelli said.

She also said that the government's general electoral programme for local councils as well as that for the past elections must be honoured, which the people chose for the local councils to move forward.

Zerafa Civelli was asked if government has considered any of the Nationalist Party's proposals for the local councils, one of which was to conduct carrying capacity studies in each locality, to determine the necessary infrastructural investment needed in the coming years.

"During the consultation period of the aforementioned strategy, we consulted with everyone, from both sides. Those within the Nationalist Party could have voiced their thoughts," Zerafa Civelli replied.

She said that she had met with the then-PN spokesperson for Local Government Darren Carabott, who also presented a document with all the PN's concerns. Zerafa Civelli reiterated that everyone was consulted for the vision.

Asked if the government plans to conduct such studies itself, Zerafa Civelli said that the potential for this exists in the government's strategic vision.

She spoke about the five pillars the strategy is based on, and mentioned some, such as “a local council close to the people”.

"There are already councils close to the people, but we must continue ensuring that they are truly close to the people. The implementation, and the study which was done before it, will tell us how we can be even closer to the people," Zerafa Civelli said, adding that this vision does cater for a study to be conducted when needed.

Zerafa Civelli mentioned another pillar, which is to have cleaner localities. She said through the government's implementation plan, the strategy includes how localities will be made cleaner, which is also based on studies.