The president of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Pedro Martín, highlighted yesterday that the island budget for 2022 “starts from the criteria of a redistribution of the economies from a territorial point of view, of making a distribution taking into account the needs and not the political colors , based on meeting the greatest needs ”. This was stated during the presentation of the island accounts for next year, which amount to 874,331,705 euros, which is 3.8% more than the 2021 budget, in the framework of an act together with the first vice president and Counselor of the Roads, Mobility, Innovation and Culture Area, Enrique Arriaga, and the Second Vice President and Counselor of the Presidency, Finance and Modernization, Berta Pérez. The accounts will reach the Plenary today for debate and approval.
“We start from a decrease in income due to a drop in transfers from other entities, mainly from the Canary Islands Government, and an economic situation that continues to generate uncertainties next year. In spite of everything, we have proposed a budget that grows by just over 32 million ”, said Martín, who emphasized that it starts from“ the criteria of a redistribution from a territorial point of view ”.
In this sense, he recalled that “in Social Action we have contributed 11 million to municipalities, and in Employment, more than 18 million, according to criteria agreed with Fecam”, to which is now added a new works plan for municipalities of less of 20,000 inhabitants. And he stressed that “the Cabildo had never agreed to economic distributions on the Island with the Fecam.”
In general, Pedro Martín valued that “the spirit” of the budget “is to continue strengthening an island in a difficult situation, to face a situation of crisis that continues and thinking about those sectors of society that have more difficulties, greater deficiencies. Therefore, we are reinforcing where it is important, not where it is more propagandistic ”.
Likewise, the president announced that the Cabildo has requested a loan of 70.3 million, which “will put us at a very reasonable point of indebtedness,” he said. “An operation that allows us to balance the budget and make investment and thinking that in the future this credit operation will not end up being a drag on the Cabildo’s economic activity, that is, we are doing it responsibly,” he explained.
For his part, Enrique Arriaga valued that the priorities of the island budget for 2022 are “social action, employment and economic reactivation”, highlighting that “one out of every four euros of the budget goes to vulnerable groups.”
Also, Berta Pérez indicated that it is a budget “balanced from an economic point of view, and, of course, territorial.” The counselor broke down the main sources of financing for the Cabildo accounts and, in the expenses section, pointed out that the personnel chapter grew by 5.6%, to 93 million, and that chapter IV of current transfers increased by 3 , 7%, up to 381 million.
Regarding the breakdown of the items, which was specified by the island president, in the area of investments, the Cabildo has planned 190 million euros for the execution of different works such as the Masca pier, the rehabilitation of the Parque de Las Mesas, the Valleseco beach, complete the improvement of the La Campana industrial estate or the adaptation of the coastline in Fasnia, among others.
Regarding Social Protection and Employment Promotion, with 250 million, Pedro Martín highlighted that “we increased one more year the transfers to the Insular Institute of Social and Socio-Health Care (IASS), by 9%”, which makes a total of 238 million to “attend to the COVID emergency and continue providing services to particularly needy areas, such as dependency”, which will have 178 million euros.
550 more places
In this sense, he valued that, “in these two years of COVID, we have created 1,500 socio-sanitary places and we have 551 more places planned for next year.” Martín also pointed out that “we have put out to tender two residences that will begin to be executed next year, in Santa Úrsula and Arico, and we have the financing for La Orotava underway.”
Regarding the area of Employment and Socioeconomic Development, with 22.7 million, there are 3.9 million for the Neighborhoods for Employment Program; 3.2 for programs to support trade, SMEs and the self-employed, and just over 10 million for training and employment programs, among others.
Meanwhile, in Tourism there is a planned budget of 27.5 million that includes the execution of several projects to improve the coastline, through the Tenerife and the Sea program (four million), and another 16 will go to promotion and connectivity.
Likewise, Martín highlighted the 26 million for the Agriculture, Livestock and Fishing area, which will have the largest budget item for the primary sector in the history of the Cabildo.
The Natural Environment and Security Management budgets are also reinforced, which will have 62.3 million euros (16% more), and in the area of Sustainability and Climate Change an investment of 58 million is planned, in the which includes the development of sanitation and water purification projects.
Regarding Municipal Cooperation and Housing, with 20 million for 2022, of which seven are for the rehabilitation and acquisition of housing, Martín highlighted the 25% increase in the budget for the new Island Municipal Cooperation Plan 2022-2025, which will have a game of 60 million euros.
Regarding Mobility and Roads, with 142.5 million, about 60 million will be invested in 50 actions related both to the conservation, conditioning and improvement of roads and the landscape, as well as to the decongestion of traffic.
Enrique Arriaga stressed that “all the necessary works to solve the traffic problem are under way” on the TF-5, to which will be added 105 hybrid buses and the incorporation into the accounts “of the drafting of the projects for the large lanes bus-vao of the TF-1 and the TF-5 ”.
On the other hand, Arriaga pointed out that work continues on the reorganization and reorganization of the public sector of the Cabildo, and stressed that “we have just approved the transfer to the Santa Cruz City Council of 2.3 million to buy the land where the city has been built for 22 years. Titsa headquarters ”.
In this regard, Pedro Martín pointed out that “the Auditorium is also on a floor that does not belong to the Cabildo and we are managing to make it definitively owned by the Cabildo.”
Another area that increases its budget is Culture, with 29.8 million euros, 8.6% more; while Youth Education and Sports will have almost 40 million.
