Momentum candidate for the First and Sixth Districts and founder of ResidentiBeltin, Billy McBee said that residents need concrete action, not repeated slogans and recycled promises.

McBee stated that Valletta, Europe's first planned city and one of the world's most remarkable historic capitals, must be protected and treated as a living community, not merely as a tourist destination or commercial zone.

He warned that residents can no longer ignore the reality on the ground. According to McBee, successive administrations have continued prioritising commercial interests over community wellbeing, with public assets, streets, open spaces, land, coastal areas, harbour zones, historic buildings and parking spaces increasingly dominated or handed over to private business interests.

He said residents' peace, sleep, mobility, accessibility and quality of life are too often being sacrificed for private profit.

McBee also referred to Malta's constitutional duty to safeguard the environment, landscape and historical and artistic heritage. He noted that accountability remains absent despite UNESCO requesting Malta to report by 1 December 2026 on Valletta's state of conservation and on the implementation of the required protection measures.

"This should serve as a serious wake-up call. Valletta's Outstanding Universal Value cannot be protected on paper while residents are being pushed out in practice," McBee said.

He added that poor or delayed public maintenance should not be blamed on frontline workers, but on failures in leadership, planning and management by those responsible for delivering public services.

McBee stressed that these pressures are not limited to Valletta. Floriana and the wider Grand Harbour area are facing similar problems, including overdevelopment, commercial takeover, over-tourism, loss of public space and residents increasingly being priced out of their own communities.

He said Momentum is rooted in genuine community values, the same principles on which ResidentiBeltin was founded.

McBee concluded that residents deserve leadership that listens, acts and delivers, adding that communities have waited long enough and cannot afford to wait any longer.