Majority of people disagree with legal notices extending music playing time in Valletta

Almost 60% of people disagree with a new legal notice published by government allowing music in Valletta to be played until 1am.  

A new survey, carried out by Polar and published by newspaper Illum, shows that the new regulations governing certain Valletta streets has not been a popular move.  

Nine streets in Valletta are now exempt from the ban on late-night music that comes into force after 11pm for all establishments, save for the condition that the volume be kept “at a moderate level”. 

News of the legal notice led to an uproar from Valletta residents, who called on the local council to request a repeal of the notice. 

The survey shows that the elderly are most angered by the legal notice, as are those who live in the Northern Harbour and Western districts. 

However, there is a clear difference of opinion on the issue between those who voted for the Nationalist Party in the last election, and those who voted for the Labour Party. 

While 77% of PN voters said that they disagreed with the legal notices, only 48.6% of Labour voters shared the same opinion.  

Nonetheless, 26.7% of Labour voters said they agreed with the legal notices, indicating poor support for the move even among the party’s voting base. 

The Nationalist Party had presented a motion in Parliament last month calling on the government to reverse the legal notices in question.  

But with the Labour Party’s parliamentary majority, the motion was immediately shot down. None of the Labour Party MPs that were elected in the First District, which includes Valletta, had participated in the discussion. 

Among those who did not vote in the last election, 53.7% of respondents said that they disagreed with the regulations. A 34.3% minority of respondents said they agreed with such a regulation in Valletta. 

Support for the regulations was strongest among youths aged 16 to 35, with 31.8% of respondents in this demographic group saying they agreed with the legal notice.  

But even here, the majority of respondents at 48.9% said that they disagreed with the new rules.  

Meanwhile, it is the 51 to 65 age group that is most likely to disagree with the rules. Over 65% of respondents in this grouping said they disagreed with the legal notices, while only 19.4% said they agreed with the regulations. 

Among those above 65 years of age, 63.5% disagreed with the legal notice, with support at a measly 16%.