Is Autonomy of Local Government a Clichè? (original) (raw)

Title: Is Autonomy of Local Government a Cliché? Purpose: The aim of this research study was to get a true picture of the autonomous level of Maltese local councils. The Local Councils Act was modelled on the European Charter of Local Self-Government. This means that Local Government units shall have a distinct legal personality apart from excercising and performing its functions under the Local Councils Act. Design: Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a number of Mayors, Councillors, Executive Secretaries and other staff working at the local councils’ offices. The main aim of the interviews was to discuss the autonomy issue, stressing on decentralisation, the added value of local councils and if fiscal autonomy is viable for the local government units in Malta. Throughout the interviews, the participants had the chance to voice their opinion on the autonomy of local councils in Malta, what shall be done in the future, and if the notion of decentralisation is yielding the expected results. Findings: The findings indicate that local councils in Malta are still a long way from being truly autonomous. A good number of participants voiced their concerns that local councils are acting as Government customer’s care offices. Several participants stated that the establishment of several government agencies and entities is reducing the autonomy of local councils. Conclusions: While it is quite clear that the country needs local councils, it is similarly clear that they are not being autonomous as they should be. The local councils need the proper tools to succeed, but to date, the elected members and staff working at the local governments’ offices are frustrated by the lack of funds and lack of autonomy. Value: A number of recommendations are proposed on how local councils can be more autonomous in the future. Firstly, the Central Government shall decentralise more responsiblities to local councils, thus giving them the true sense of ‘local government’ units. Secondly, local councils shall be given more fiscal responsiblity. The last recommendation is a big shout for the political parties, since local councils can be better off if they are apolitical. Keywords: Local councils, Local Government units, Decentralisation, Autonomy, Added-value.