Municipalities across the Paphos district took part in a three-hour symbolic protest on Monday, calling for stronger support for local government and adequate funding to implement local government reform.
The Municipality of Paphos participated in the peaceful demonstration from 9am to 12pm outside the municipal hall, in line with a coordinated decision by the Union of Cyprus Municipalities.
The aim of the protest was to highlight the need to strengthen local government, with particular emphasis on safeguarding the administrative, operational and financial autonomy of municipalities so they can respond effectively to growing public needs and provide quality services.
Acting Mayor Angelos Onisiforou said local government is a fundamental pillar of public administration and stressed that maintaining strong and viable municipalities is in the interests of residents.
He also expressed support for efforts to strengthen the role and effectiveness of local authorities through dialogue and cooperation among all stakeholders.
The municipality clarified that participation by employees was entirely voluntary and that no employee was required to take part or would face any different treatment based on their decision.
It added that every effort had been made to ensure municipal services continued operating and that urgent and essential needs of residents were met during the protest.
According to the municipality, the event was exclusively peaceful, institutional and symbolic in nature, with its central demand being the strengthening of a strong, effective and financially sustainable local government system.
Mariella Theophanous, an AKEL municipal councillor in Paphos, said local authorities require the necessary resources to provide quality services to residents.
She said AKEL's municipal team supported the symbolic mobilisation and called on the state to engage in dialogue and pursue fair solutions for the benefit of local communities.
Yeroskipou municipality joins protest
The Municipality of Yeroskipou also took part in the three-hour protest, following the call issued by the Union of Cyprus Municipalities.
Mayor Nicos Palios said the municipal council was deeply concerned by what it described as the central government's approach towards municipalities and local government more broadly.
"The protest is being held as a reaction to state interference in the principles of local government, particularly administrative and financial autonomy," Mr Palios said.
He called for fair funding arrangements to ensure that the financial burden of reform is not shifted onto residents.
"Instead of substantially strengthening local government through adequate and fair state grants, the state is attempting to transfer the financial burden to municipalities and ultimately to residents," he said.
He argued that current government policies effectively encourage municipalities to increase fees and charges.
"Municipalities neither want this, nor consider it fair, nor accept it as the correct solution, because residents should not become the final recipients of the cost of inadequate state support for local government."
Mr Palios added that the issue affects not only municipal independence but also residents themselves, who could ultimately bear the cost of insufficient government support.
For these reasons, he said, the municipal council considered it necessary to oppose the policy through peaceful and institutional means while defending the principles of local government and the interests of residents.
The municipality also stressed that employee participation was entirely voluntary and that no staff member would face any consequences whether they chose to participate or remain at work.
The demonstration took place outside the municipal hall between 9am and noon.
Calls for state support
Valentinos Fakontis, AKEL MP for Paphos, attended the demonstration in Geroskipou and expressed support for the efforts of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities and local authorities.
He said local government needs the necessary conditions and resources to implement the reform approved by parliament and called on the state to act as a pillar of support for municipalities.
Mr Fakontis urged the government to provide both financial and administrative backing to help local authorities adapt to the new local government framework.
"The reform must be supported by the state and not by residents' pockets," he said.
The municipality said arrangements had been made to ensure continuity of services and the provision of urgent assistance to residents during the demonstration.
The Municipalities of Akamas and Polis Chrysochous also joined the three-hour work stoppage.
Protesters carried placards bearing slogans including:
- "The reform will not be paid for by residents"
- "Respect local government"
- "No shifting of costs onto residents"
Participants said their main demand was fair funding to ensure that the costs arising from local government reform are not transferred to citizens.
