The City Council of La Laguna has approved the locations and structure of the Christmas 2022 and Valentine’s 2023 markets, a program that will have venues in San Benito, La Cuesta, Valle de Guerra and Taco, and that will add a total of 145 stalls . The Trade and Economic Development Area has already opened the registration period for people and entities interested in participating in this initiative. The objective is to regulate a street vending activity that was paralyzed by the pandemic and that introduces social, quality and safety criteria.
The Councilor for Commerce and Economic Development, Aitami Bruno, explains: “We are working so that these markets are held every Saturday, in the morning, in four areas of the municipality, with a start date that, if all the forecasts of terms, will allow us to offer this activity from December 10 to February 14, 2023”. This pilot action will serve to evaluate the participation and effectiveness of the model, so “as of that date, we will assess the option of having permanent markets throughout the year,” she points out.
The approved locations are Embajador Alberto de Armas Avenue, in San Benito, with 41 stalls; the Plaza del Tranvía, on La Cuesta, with 29; the Valle de Guerra church square, with another 36, and the San Jerónimo de Taco square, with 39 stalls. And in addition to Saturdays, the agreement includes the special celebration, on the occasion of Three Kings’ Day, between January 2 and 5, 2023. Interested persons can consult the bases and submit their application at a period that will end on November 18.
“The pandemic paralyzed this type of street sales activities for more than 2 years and, at this time of recovery, the residents of the municipality who are dedicated to this activity, demand that the city council establish support measures to make their activity viable, that provide safe spaces and with all the guarantees”, recalls the councillor.
“One of the objectives is to support the families that apply and that is why it will be valued that the applicant has professional experience, accredited training in the artisanal or artistic field, having an address in the municipality of La Laguna or having relatives as assistants to the position, since it is known that the activity of sale in markets is carried out to a great extent, not by individual sellers, but by family nuclei”, adds Aitami Bruno.
Thus, in addition to favoring the presence of the families of the municipality, with an extra score in an open tender in accordance with the regulations, issues such as the application of environmental measures in the manufacture of the product, that have been made by people with disabilities or that the person proves to be subject to the arbitration system to resolve claims with consumers and users, requirements that will be detailed in the call for registrations.
The requirements will also include that the registered persons are up to date with tax, fiscal and Social Security obligations or that they are registered in the headings corresponding to the tax on Economic Activities.
With this action, as they comment, in addition to responding to a social demand, the area reinforces its strategy of decentralization of commercial actions that it has started this month, with the Commercial November campaign and other initiatives that will be announced in the coming weeks.
