The issue of consultation as an integral part of local democracy

Abstract

The set up of local councils in Malta was intended to give the citizens an active participation in decision making at the local level. This proximity of the citizen is also explicitly stated in the European Charter of Local self-Government, the latter which was signed and ratified by Malta. Amongst the various articles of the Charter, Article 4 (6) clearly stresses on the importance of consultation with local authorities in planning and in decision-making. The first chapter of this essay highlights the main times where various rules and governments tried to establish in different ways a type of local government in Malta. Apart from outlining the main steps involved towards the official establishment of the local council system in 1993, this chapter gives a detailed overview of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, making specific reference to the issue of consultation. Various arguments showing lack of consultation and lack of co-operation that were experienced by different local councils are brought up, the latter which are supported by research already conducted in the field. Chapter 2 tackles various case studies that cropped up in the last years, all of which show the strong lack of consultation that local councils are facing throughout their day-to-day running. Amongst others the controversial case of the engineered interim landfills near the World Heritage Sites of Mnajdra and Hagar Qim, whereby, the Qrendi Local Council got to know about the government plans from the media, let alone being consulted before the proposal was made public. The implications that emerge from such cases in the context of local democracy are then discussed in the final chapter. The short interviews conducted with various Mayors/Deputy Mayors all prove that the government's repetitive arguments about the wide consultation that according to it is taking place are nothing but a purely misnomer.