Parking permits issued by local councils are now enforceable by LESA following the publication of a new legal notice. The move follows months of deadlock after a court ruled last year that Transport Malta did not have the right to transfer responsibility for issuing permits to local councils. The court ordered LESA to refund a €200 fine to a man whose car had been towed. As the decision was challenged by the agency and Transport Malta, the legality of the permits and their enforcement were called into question pending the outcome of the appeal. But, this has now changed. In an amendment to prior legislation, the right to issue tow zone signs has been extended to local councils and, importantly, applicants have been given the right to display them. The court ruled last July that applicants did not have the legal right to display the signs provided to them by the council and that only a government entity could do so. The new legal notice changes this, stating that “the notice may, after the applicant obtains the authorisation and permission of... the council... be administered and affixed by the applicant himself”. Permits are often obtained by residents to reserve parking spaces...
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