Dozens of Limassol Municipality workers held a three-hour work stoppage outside the Municipal Building on Monday morning (3/8), demanding increased state funding for local government and sending a message that the reform cannot be implemented without the necessary financial resources.
The mobilisation ran from 9am to noon, in line with a unanimous decision by the Union of Cyprus Municipalities, which the Limassol Municipal Council also adopted. Dozens of municipal employees took part in the protest, joined by municipal councillors and ELAM Limassol MP Evgenios Chamboullas, who voiced support for local government’s demands.
Limassol Town Hall and the surrounding area were filled with banners bearing slogans such as “The reform will not be paid for by residents” and “Reform needs resources, not new burdens,” capturing the mobilisation’s core message.
In a speech, Limassol Mayor Yiannis Armeftis said the mobilisation was not directed against citizens, but represented a last-ditch effort to ensure the local government reform is implemented correctly.
“Municipalities are asking for adequate funding, not privileges. The state grant must match the new responsibilities municipalities have taken on since the reform. The basic state grant hasn’t really increased,” he said, noting that part of the amounts presented as increases relate to the transfer of responsibilities, such as road network maintenance, rather than new financial support.
Armeftis also noted that, according to Union of Cyprus Municipalities figures, funding per resident has fallen from €188.35 in 2010 to around €155 today, due to the population growth of the new municipalities. At the same time, he said, the state’s tax revenues have more than doubled, while the state grant to municipalities has remained almost unchanged. He added that the new municipalities have also taken on the financial obligations of former communities, further increasing financial pressures.
The mayor also stressed that the Union of Municipalities rejects any tax increase on citizens, saying the cost of the reform must not be passed on to residents. Instead, he proposed linking the state grant to a fixed percentage of state revenue, as applied in several European countries, in order to secure municipalities’ financial autonomy and sustainability.
Concluding his remarks, Armeftis said the municipalities’ goal is not confrontation with the government but substantive dialogue, expressing hope that a fair and sustainable solution would soon be found for the benefit of local government and citizens.
