The group Residenti Beltin have called upon the capital city's local council "to make cleanliness, maintenance, enforcement and the protection of Valletta's urban environment a standing priority; to actively monitor the standards being delivered; and, whenever responsibility lies elsewhere, to formally demand action from the competent authority, entity or contractor."

The group said that while maintaining, trash, and cleansing serve as "a huge problem - not just a 'challenge'" for the capital city, these issues would be far less problematic "if those responsible were held accountable."

Residenti Beltin sent a statement to the local council pleading that "Valletta deserves to be clean, properly maintained, consistently monitored and cared for." The independent social group said that local councils should be the parties demanding public entity's accountability in matters of cleansing, waste management, maintenance, and enforcement, not simply identifying which entity is technically responsible for a particular problem.

The group stated that the local council should not merely tell residents who is responsible for these matters, but that it should be demanding public entities to do their job in keeping the capital city clean and well-maintained.

Residenti Beltin said that "where another entity is responsible, the Council should be the first to demand that entity's accountability on behalf of the residents it represents." In this regard, it said that the division of responsibilities between local and regional councils does not erase the Valletta Local Council's statutory responsibilities to monitor if entities are falling short in their duties.

On Saturday night, Residenti Beltin posted on social media that that public cleanliness in Valletta would be significantly improved if authorities "were serious about enforcement and took a heavy hand rather than a light one." It attached pictures and videos illustrating different parts of the capital littered with rubbish, featuring wet pavements and other parts coated in bird droppings.

"Unfortunately, the state of a city often reflects the standards, priorities and leadership behind it," Residenti Beltin stated.

The group concluded that it is high time that Valletta's reputation as "an elegant capital" and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is restored, "rather than allowing it to become increasingly associated with neglect and disorder."

It observed that Valletta carries immense cultural, historical, economic, and touristic importance, and that the standard of the city should reflect that importance. However, the residents demanded that "accountability must start at home," thus asking its elected local council who is speaking up on behalf of the city when "basic standards" are not being met, and who is demanding action, answers or accountability.

"Residents should not have to keep pointing out the same failures indefinitely," Valletta residents said, "In every case, the answer cannot simply be that the problem belongs to somebody else."

In this regard, Residenti Beltin asked where accountability lies when streets remain filthy for long periods, how the local council is monitoring the standard of cleanliness and maintenance in Valletta, and if all areas of the capital are receiving the same standard of attention.

The group said that cleansing and maintenance "must be constant and must extend to every area of the locality, not selectively concentrated on particular streets or areas because they happen to receive greater publicity or social-media attention."

The residential group noted that the capital's standard should be reflected in all its areas, every day, and that "a capital city should not have to depend on photographs, publicity campaigns or social-media posts to demonstrate that it is being cleaned." It added that this same principle relates to enforcement.

"Abuse and disorder would be significantly reduced if the responsible public entities were serious about enforcement and adopted a firm, consistent and proportionate approach," Residenti Beltin said, "A light-touch approach which allows repeated abuse to continue does not solve the problem."

The residents concluded that Valletta needs more than slogans - as elected councillors in other localities have been vocal and active - and that Valletta needs accountability, action, and deserves to be a clean city.