The central government has allocated €8 million worth of funding to Cyprus’ five district governments to deal with “water supply and water loss issues”, Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou said on Wednesday.

Speaking after a meeting with the five governors, he said further money will be provided “in the coming years”, while also speaking on the matter of last year’s local government reform, which created the five district governments, and the central government’s interaction with them since.

“We supported district governments in the transitional period, and we had recognised from the very beginning that there would be a transitional period due to the fact that 46 local authorities were merged into five. We recognised the fact that there would be problems at the transitional stage,” he said.

To help the district governments, he said, the central government has transferred “experienced staff” to the districts, while also “approving budgets and job positions in a timely matter when they were submitted to us”.

Nicosia district governor Constantinos Yiorkadjis also spoke after the meeting, saying the €8m offered to deal with water supply issues will allow for “various corrective actions” to be carried out.

He added that President Nikos Christodoulides had “given instructions and requested that district governments be coordinated, and that all needs arising from the outdated water supply network throughout Cyprus be recorded”.

In addition, he said the meeting had focused on “organisational issues”, including the matter of staffing inside district governments.

“One of the main issues district governments face is the staffing. Some district governments are more advanced in this matter than others. The main goal is to be fully staffed by the end of the year,” he said.

Earlier, Christodoulides had described the district governments as a crucial pillar of the local government reform, which he said was introduced to improve public services and bring decision-making closer to residents.

“We are not yet where we want to be,” he said, acknowledging that there have been complaints from local communities and residents about delays and inefficiencies. He stressed that the district governments play a central role in people’s everyday lives, especially when it comes to services and accessibility.

The reform, implemented less than a year ago, aimed to streamline local authorities and cut red tape. But results so far have been mixed.

While some district governments have progressed well, others have struggled.

Christodoulides had also stressed that the “degree of readiness” for local government to be reformed was “varied” across the districts. In some areas, he said, adequate planning was done in the two years prior to implementation. In others, preparations fell short.

He then emphasised the need for open dialogue. He called for solutions that involve both state support and respect for the responsibilities granted to district governments under the law.

He said the government’s aim is not only to fix what is going wrong but to ensure that residents feel properly served and represented. 

“We want local communities to feel satisfied with the service they receive,” he said.