No mayor or councillor should suffer personally for defending their locality
ILocal councils have already been weakened by a Government that has stripped them of most of their powers and starved them of resources. The last thing they need is to face intimidation tactics. Instead, they need to be strengthened once again so they can better serve their localities and residents.
Local councils must be strengthened once again so they can serve their communities properly
The Partit Nazzjonalista expresses its solidarity with Paola Mayor Jason Silvio and all the locality’s councillors, and condemns any act of intimidation against those working in the interests of their community.
Paola Local Council appealed against a Planning Authority permit for a development within an Urban Conservation Area, as it is fully entitled to do. Yet, as a result, the mayor’s personal bank accounts have now been frozen.
Local councils have not only a right, but a duty towards their residents, to appeal against Planning Authority decisions when they believe their locality is under threat.
No mayor or councillor should suffer personally, in this case through a garnishee order against his personal bank accounts, for a decision taken collectively by the council in the interests of the locality.
This is unacceptable. A local council is a separate legal entity, and a mayor or councillor who speaks on behalf of residents and defends their locality should never be personally targeted.
What has happened sets a dangerous precedent, exposing any elected councillor who fulfils their duty towards their locality to personal consequences.
Such action is intended to instil fear in anyone who dares to lodge an appeal or take a stand against development that threatens the character of our towns and villages. This is unacceptable.
This is not a party-political issue. It is a matter of local democracy, and of whether the country is prepared to protect those who protect and represent residents.
Local councils have already been weakened by a Government that has stripped them of most of their powers and starved them of resources. The last thing they need is to face intimidation tactics. Instead, they need to be strengthened once again so they can better serve their localities and residents.
Anyone who chooses to serve their locality as a councillor does so at a personal sacrifice, giving up their time, and certainly not for the money. Behaviour of this kind further discourages those who wish to serve their community.
The Government has a duty to provide every possible protection to Jason Silvio and to all mayors and councillors, enabling them to continue carrying out their duties without fear or favour, as they swore to do when elected.
The Partit Nazzjonalista calls on the Government to make it clear that mayors and councillors are protected when acting on behalf of their council, and stands ready to work to ensure that any gaps in the law are addressed as swiftly as possible.
Bernice Bonello
Shadow Minister for Local Government and Public Works
Rebekah Borg
Shadow Minister for Planning
29.10.2026