MEPA, landscaping work most hit by environment budget cuts – PL

The Labour Party this morning announced a number of cuts in the environment sector following the government's budgetary revision in January.

According to Labour MPs Charles Buhagiar and Roderick Galdes, MEPA, the Building Industry Consultative Council (BICC) and landscaping works across Malta and Gozo have suffered the brunt of the budget cuts in the environment sector.

Addressing a press conference this morning, the MPs said that government reduced the funds for Mepa's appeals tribunal. "This despite the fact that this tribunal decides on development applications," Galdes said. "This board is already faced by backlog and the cuts will not help."

He added that the budget allocated for the planning sector was cut by €175,000, related to subventions. "The end result will be that Mepa's deficit will continue to rise, when at the end of the day it would be the taxpayer who will have to fork out the money in the form of taxes or through new tariffs imposed by Mepa," Galdes insisted.

The PL said government also cut €98,000 from the allocated budget for environmental programmes.

Charles Buhagiar added that funds were also cut from the BICC fund. He said that aim of the consultative council was to monitor the construction sector and the cuts did not help an industry which is facing tough times.

"Government is sending a wrong message towards a sector which employs over 21,000 workers," he said.

Galdes also said that government cut €26,000 from the funds allocated to the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation (GHRC), "even though no one knows how the corporation is being financed".

Galdes also said that the landscaping funds saw a reduction of €300,000 while over €800,000 are expected to be saved between wages and overtime.