Local Councils removed from UIF Board

From the LCA newsletter, I have just discovered that the Malta Environment and Planning Authority has informed the Local Councils' Association that its membership on the Urban Improvement Fund Board has been terminated. This was done without any consultation with Local Councils whatsoever.

The LCA has informed the Parliamentary Secretary responsible for Local Government that the LCA will never accept that decisions are made without any formal consultations and it has requested the re-instatement of the LCA membership on the UIF Board.

The UIF revenue originates from MEPA development applications and then it is used to implement projects carried out by Local Councils as part of the urban improvement strategy. Various projects have been carried out by local councils thanks to this fund.

I hope that this is not the first step in stopping local councils from benefiting from this fund, this being also the first year since 1997 that our allocation has been reduced.

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