NICOSIA Mayor Eleni Mavrou yesterday vented her frustration at the lack of state support for local authorities, saying the capital was suffering as a result. Mavrou argued not enough money was given for important works, while loan applications were lost in red tape preventing the municipality from implementing necessary projects.
“In the last 10 years, despite continued statements about supporting the capital, only two town planning works have been made: on Byron Avenue and Rigenis for a total of £1.2 million while in other cities tens of millions on building work has been spent,” she said.
Mavrou argued that the municipality was being kept in the dark about state plans for the capital, while loan applications for important projects were tied up in the bureaucratic process, delaying much needed funds for building pavements, putting drains on roads and fixing rundown and dangerous houses.
“As the capital and city that pays the cost of occupation daily, Nicosia deserves much more,” she said, adding, “This is not a complaint against the state, this is indignation. Why is a capital city treated like this?”
The municipality’s budget for 2008 is just above £18m, for which the state provides 17.3 per cent. “In reality, this is much less as the Nicosia Municipality pays almost half back in VAT which is non-refundable. If you can imagine, we still pay VAT on lighting the city and for asphalting the roads,” said Mavrou.
Over £10m of the budget costs goes on wages, while around £5m is earmarked for development, mostly covered by the EU’s structural funds, USAID and UNDP.
To balance the budget, a lot of necessary works had to be cut, said the mayor. “The absence of substantial economic support from the state is obvious,” she said.
According to Mavrou, state grants to local authorities reflect 1.8 per cent of state revenue. Local authorities are calling for this to reach four per cent to reflect the new role of local authorities.
The mayor proceeded to give a list of bureaucratic delays hindering works: “We’ve been waiting one year now for a loan approval on work for regeneration of the Green Line and for a loan to prop up 275 buildings that are ready to fall. The three-year Regeneration Programme ends in 2008, which doesn’t leave much time to implement projects. We are waiting for a £3m loan. They [the falling houses] do not work with a timetable though.
“We are not informed of major projects planned for the capital, like the €80m Cultural Centre or the Military Officers Club they want to put in the old Philoxenia Hotel.” The mayor only heard about the latter through a news article in yesterday’s press. Just last week, Mavrou was pitching the hotel as a new site for a state-of-the-art conference and hotel centre to attract conference tourism to the capital.
“We had to fight for our participation in the committees set up to discuss what to do with the old GSP Stadium. We’ve been waiting on funds for pavements and drains since 2003. There have been two works executed in a decade. Is all this not indicative of how a city is treated? State attitude has to change to the Nicosia Municipality,” said Mavrou.
The mayor was joined by representatives of all the political parties at the press conference which she used to announce a number of projects set to finish by the end of the year.
Within 2007, the Nicosia Municipality will have widened Panayias Road in Pallouriotissa; renovated an old pensioners’ home which will house the Municipality’s Social Services; set up an Art Education Centre for children; opened the Shadow Theatre Museum in conjunction with the Leventis Museum; used the Pallouriotissa market as a social and cultural centre, and completed the upgrading of Ayios Pavlos Avenue.
The municipality’s targets for 2008 were also announced: upgrade Themistoclis Dervis Avenue (cost £2.8m); upgrade Ayios Ilarionos; renovate Markos Drakos Avenue; build pedestrian/cycle lane on Pedieos River (£1.5m); renovate Eleftheria Square (£5.3m); renovation of Pallouriotissa, Tachtakalas (within the walls) and Kaimakli (£4.5m); upgrade Ayios Antonios market (£800,000); put new lighting in the old town (£230,000), and construct the new municipality and upgrade the surrounding area (£6.9m).
