Bigger fines for tables and chairs encroaching on public space
Interior Minister Thodoris Livanios announced increased fines for the illegal placement by businesses of tables and chairs in public areas, changes in the financial system of municipalities, as well as a greater premium on locality for appointments in mountainous and island municipalities (including large islands) during a meeting on Wednesday with the Board of Directors of the Central Union of Municipalities (KEDE). Livanios said he will enact legislation stipulating the increase of fines for illegal tables and seating as a deterrent for would-be encroachers of public space.
While pledging to discuss all issues and to proceed with important changes based on the experience of the local government officials, he also expressed dissatisfaction with the effectiveness of the municipalities in specific areas, such as the management of stray animals and fire safety in municipal kindergartens.
“Why haven’t you put fire safety equipment in all municipal kindergartens? There is a fund of 95 million euros and you have used half of it. For seven years now, we have been continuously going to extensions,” he stressed, adding that “we must stop the rationale of permanent extensions.”
Regarding strays, he admonished local authorities for not taking advantage of funding that “has increased 20 times” and other financial tools for the creation of shelters.
He also emphasized that as part of the change in the institutional framework for self-government, many of the financial issues of the municipalities related to revenue and management will be looked at again from scratch so that they can operate “on the basis of a modern economic system.”
Livanios also admitted that the new way of distributing government funding to local authorities that came into force on January 1 favored small municipalities that have a large area but “left some large municipalities at the same level, and that’s something that has to be looked at.”
