The Contentious-Administrative Court number 1 has supported the appeal lodged by Carmen Luisa Castro, the Popular Party spokesperson in Güímar, declaring the plenary agreement made in October 2023 as “null and void.” This agreement had allowed the current mayor, Gustavo Pérez (CC), along with the councillors of the governing group, Airam Puerta and Cándido Gómez (both from the PSOE), and Juan Delgado (CC), to retain their salaries from the previous term.
The substitute judge, María Concepción Pérez-Crespo, indicates that “an appeal is feasible” against this ruling, and sources close to the individuals involved have already revealed plans to challenge this decision. Moreover, there are concerns among the current government team that Castro is prolonging this issue, which they regard as an “administrative error,” particularly as the Prosecutor’s Office is also probing public works valued at over one million euros that were commissioned by the former mayor.
Regardless of the circumstances, a summary of the case concerning the salary arrangements for the current mayor and the three referenced councillors traces back to another plenary decision (2021). This agreement involved the alternation of leadership in the Gúimar City Council between the PSOE and CC, during which the same salary figures were to be received, leading to the omission of a specific agenda item to approve these wages. The PP took this matter to court, and the same court has now issued another ruling.
At the commencement of the current mandate, the PP submitted a request during the municipal plenary session in October of the previous year. They sought not the administrative annulment of the remuneration authorisation, but rather the complete reimbursement of salaries for the mayor and the three councillors over the last 15 months, yet they were unsuccessful in the vote. The Popular Party subsequently appealed this new agreement to the courts, which have now sided with them, determining that the four councillors in question ought to have abstained from voting.
It is important to highlight that the monthly payrolls of the mayor and councillors receive positive evaluations from Human Resources and Intervention, which at no point question the representation and work of each public official, nor do they dispute the amount of their salaries.
