Gozo Civic Council

{{Short description|Legislative body in Gozo 1961–1973}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox legislature | name = Gozo Civic Council | legislature = | coa_pic = | coa_res = | coa_alt = | coa_caption = | logo_pic = | logo_res = | logo_alt = | logo_caption = | house_type = Unicameral legislature | houses = | chambers = | body = | jurisdiction = Gozo | term_limits = | foundation = {{Start date|1961|07|14|df=y}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofmalta.com/article/Regional-council-for-Gozo.587454|title=Regional council for Gozo |website=timesofmalta.com|access-date=2 January 2025}}</ref> | disbanded = {{End date and age|1973|12|4|df=y}}<ref name="ToM2">{{cite web|url=https://timesofmalta.com/article/The-rise-and-fall-of-Gozo-s-civic-council.376331|title=The rise and fall of Gozo's civic council |website=timesofmalta.com|access-date=2 January 2025}}</ref> | preceded_by = | succeeded_by = | new_session = | leader1_type = | leader1 = | leader1_term = | party1 = | election1 = | leader2_type = | leader2 = | party2 = | election2 = | leader2_term = | leader3_type = | leader3 = | party3 = | election3 = | leader3_term = | leader4_type = | leader4 = | party4 = | election4 = | leader4_term = | leader5_type = | leader5 = | party5 = | election5 = | leader5_term = | leader6_type = | leader6 = | party6 = | election6 = | leader6_term = | leader7_type =  | leader7 =  | party7 =  | election7 =  | leader7_term =  | seats = Up to 17 seats | structure1 = | structure1_res = | structure1_alt = | structure2 = | structure2_res = | structure2_alt = | committees1 = | political_groups1 = *{{color box|#000}} Elected Members (14) *{{color box|#00a651}} Co-opted Members (Up to 3) | committees2 = | joint_committees = | term_length = Three years | authority = Ordinance XI of 1961 | salary = | seats1_title = | seats1 = | seats2_title = | seats2 = | seats3_title = | seats3 = | seats4_title = | seats4 = | seats5_title = | seats5 = | seats6_title = | seats6 = | seats7_title = | seats7 = | seats8_title =  | seats8 =  | house1 = Appointed member | house2 = Elected member | voting_system1 = Two stages; election of six members to each district committee, followed by election of one member by each district committee. | voting_system2 = First-past-the-post | first_election1= June 1961 | first_election2= | first_election3= | last_election1 = June 1970 | last_election2 = | last_election3 = | next_election1 = | next_election2 = | next_election3 = | session_room = Banca_Giuratale,_Victoria,_Gozo_001.jpg | meeting_place = Banca Giuratale, Victoria | constitution = Constitution of Malta }}

The '''Gozo Civic Council''' ({{langx|mt|Il-Kunsill Ċiviku Għawdxi}}) was a short-lived statutory local government in the island of Gozo, Malta that was elected by the people of Gozo.<ref name="Thesis">Caruana, Abigail Marie, ''THE GOZO CIVIC COUNCIL - An Experiment of Devolution in Gozo'' (Malta, 2010)</ref>

==Brief history==

The Council met for the first time on 10 July 1961<ref name="ToM2"/> and following the facultative non-binding 1973 Gozo Civic Council referendum and before the conclusion of the fourth legislature, it was dissolved by an Act of Parliament on 4 December 1973.<ref name="ToM2"/>

Elections were held every three years.<ref name="Thesis"/> The first election was held in June 1960, the second on 13 December 1964, the third in June 1967, with the last election taking place in June 1970.<ref name="Thesis"/>

==Composition and electoral system==

The Gozo Civic Council was made up of fourteen councillors, one from each of the fourteen District Committees in Gozo, together with up to three other councillors that could be co-opted by the Council.<ref name="Thesis"/>

The elections of the Gozo Civic Council took a two-stepped approach. First, elections were held at a district level, with voters electing six members to sit on a district committee for each of the fourteen districts of Gozo,<ref name="Thesis"/> namely the regional capital of Victoria and the villages of Il-Fontana, Għajnsielem, L-Għarb, L-Għasri, Ta' Kerċem, Il-Munxar, In-Nadur, Il-Qala, San Lawrenz, Ta' Sannat, Ix-Xagħra, Ix-Xewkija and Iż-Żebbuġ.

Thereafter, one of the councillors elected by the voters in the aforementioned election was to be elected to represent the district by each district committee.<ref name="Thesis"/>

==Meeting place==

The Council used to convene at the Banca Giuratale in Victoria.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofmalta.com/article/Exhibition-on-Gozo-Civic-Council.377982|title=Exhibition on Gozo Civic Council |website=timesofmalta.com|access-date=2 January 2025}}</ref>

==Sub-committees==

Besides the fourteen District Committees, the Council also created a number of Sub-Committees dealing with a specific sector. These were as follows:<ref name="Thesis" /> *Finance Committee (since inception) *Road Committee (since inception) *Health Committee (since inception) *General Purposes Committee (since inception) *Street Naming Committee (since second legislature)

Occasionally, the Council also established other ad-hoc sub-committees of a temporary nature that were dedicated to certain events, such as that the sub-committee formed in 1963 that was tasked with the anti-pest campaign that the Council intended to embark on.<ref name="Thesis" />

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Gozo Malta Category:Government of Malta

Gozo Civic Council

Connections

Linked from

Links to