Meloni says will talk to all mayors, not just centre-left, on cost of living, looting

(ANSA) - ROME, 26 OTT - Premier Giorgia Meloni said Monday she would talk to all of Italy's mayors and not just the centre-left ones after the centre-left mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi, and eight other centre-left mayors asked to discuss priority issues starting with the cost of living crisis and recent youth rioting and looting with her. She said the natural forum for this discussion would be the State-Cities Conference. Manfredi, who is also the head of the national municipalities association ANCI, had suggested that Meloni was not willing to talk to the nine centre-left first citizens. Meloni wrote in a letter to Manfredi: "Dear President, I have read the statements you issued together with eight other Italian mayors. They contain two points with which I wholeheartedly agree: the firmest possible condemnation of the violent behavior seen in recent weeks, and the conviction that a lasting response to the rising cost of living must be rooted in the economy. "I also join you in expressing solidarity with the merchants, artisans, and businesses that have paid the price for those disturbances. "I believe a discussion with the mayors during the budget law process would be useful. "Municipalities are where problems first become apparent and where services are tangibly delivered; regarding issues such as prices, transport, and social services, the perspective of those who govern a city serves as a valuable contribution rather than merely a procedural formality." (ANSA).
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