30 years of local councils
Thirty years ago, when local councils came to be, the Labour Party, then in Opposition, had not been represented in the first elections that took place. Well, not officially, anyway.
The PL had chosen to stay out of the contest, believing that local councils should not be politicised. In that election, Labour had still been “present” through a long list of candidates that put their names forward to be elected as “independent” candidates; when, of course, they were backed by the PL.
It was the time when Labour was taking opposite stands to the government of the day on important issues. Within a few years, it would seek to keep Malta out of the European Union by mounting a campaign for a partnership, rather than a membership. The people had chosen membership, and Labour today tries to forget that time when it was on the wrong side of history.
The same thing happened with local councils. The PL had not wanted to (officially) participate in the first elections, but then, soon afterwards, when the local councils started to function, the party changed its mind and before the turn of the century, many of those “independent” candidates who had contested in 1993 became
Labour candidates when the following elections were held.
The younger generations – we would say, those below 40 years of age – do not remember Labour’s position when local councils were created. It was the pre-internet age and quick searches yield very little information on what happened at the time. But these things need to be recalled.
Generally speaking, these 30 years of local councils have brought a change in our communities. Mayors and councillors have come and gone – with some of them proceeding to become MPs – and localities have benefited from their services.
Of course, some localities have made more progress than others. There are places that have been turned into gems, where local councils do their job properly and where it is clear that there is a driving force. There are, then, others who have lagged behind, where residents are not too happy. This is particularly the case in areas which are not close to the centre of the locality – it is often the case that local councils concentrate their efforts on zones which are more populated, with the result that the periphery, or areas where few people reside, are neglected.
It is also evident that localities where the mayor is hard-working and where the day-today administration is more efficient have carried out more projects than others. There have been cases where localities were doing well when they had an untiring mayor, only to fall behind when they were replaced by someone with a different philosophy, and vice-versa. Mayors who push and get jobs done are praised, others who are lazy are criticised.
A number of responsibilities local councils had in the past were removed over the years. This newsroom has made the argument in the past that it is far easier for a resident to go to a local council than get through to a nationwide agency. One must ask whether we weakened them too much? Perhaps councils should have a stronger say in other areas instead, such as when it comes to planning in their locality.
It is not easy to find people who are ready to give up enough of their time to serve as their locality’s mayor or councillor.
The next round is only one year away, and political parties are scrambling to build their team. The future of local councils depends on their success in finding people who are willing to do the job selflessly.