The president of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Rosa Davila, alongside the first vice president, Lope Afonso, announced today (Wednesday 30th) the budget for 2025, which has reached a record figure of 1,127 million euros. This signifies an 8% increase in comparison to the previous year and a 21% rise when compared with the budget approved by the PSOE government in 2023.
The public accounts are dedicated to reshaping Tenerife, featuring the largest investment in the Cabildo’s history aimed at revitalising the island, amounting to 326 million euros; an unprecedented social budget within this institution of 368 million euros to support individuals and households; and a strong commitment to sustainable transport, which totals 234 million euros.
Moreover, in response to one of the primary concerns for the residents of Tenerife, housing, the new budgets have seen an increase of over 104% compared to 2023, particularly for public housing construction. For the first time, the Cabildo will focus on building public housing to bridge the housing gap and guarantee access to adequate living conditions.
The president of the Cabildo stated, “Today we can affirm that Tenerife is making progress, regaining a momentum that it should never have lost during four years of stagnation and paralysis.” Additionally, she highlighted “the incredible ability of the Cabildo, when effectively managed, to transform the island, as it stands as the third largest local institution in Spain, following Madrid and Barcelona.”
Lope Afonso, the vice president, remarked that “we are dedicated to energising Tenerife, and the data confirms that indeed, the Cabildo is once again the driving force that revitalises the economy, contributes to wealth generation, fosters employment, and thus, aids in diminishing the historical reliance on the services sector. The data verifies that we have reinforced the primary sector where it was most needed, and the budget reflects those achievements.”
Dávila also noted that numerous accomplishments can already be observed within just one year, indicating that this engine is functioning. “When we took office, Tenerife had an unemployment rate of 22%, which has since dropped to 13%. We have transitioned from being in the rear to becoming the engine of job creation in the Canary Islands, generating 83% of the new jobs across the archipelago.”
Throughout their address, both Rosa Dávila and Lope Afonso underscored that the Cabildo possesses a “strong and committed” Government that operates “united and in a coordinated way,” contrasting with the “chaos that characterises the national Executive.” Both emphasised that this stability and internal collaboration have been essential for Tenerife in presenting budgets that will continue to serve as a catalyst for transformation and progress.
Main Actions by Sector
Mobility and Roads.- The Mobility sector is increasingly playing a critical role in establishing Tenerife as a model island for sustainable European mobility. As such, Mobility will receive 234 million euros, with 138 million euros managed by Mobility and 97 million earmarked for Roads, prioritising free public transport; enhancement of TITSA’s bus fleet, adding more routes and new shuttle services; the expansion of Transport on Demand to three new regions; commencement of maintenance services for stops and resolution of ideas regarding the North Train.
In the Roads category, notable highlights include the procurement of BUS-VAO Lane projects; (Lane TF-5 HUC-Las Chumberas and ITS Lane Santa Cruz-La Laguna); the completion of direct access routes to Médano and the Güimar Industrial Estate; the implementation of an intelligent traffic management system on the TF-5, and the execution of 30 road rehabilitation initiatives, including roadway surfacing on the TF-1 and 10 improvement and landscaping projects across the road network.
Social Action. This sector is experiencing a significant increase in resources, reaching 368 million euros, which constitutes 33% of the overall budget, 10% more than the previous year, and an 18% increase compared to 2023. Initiatives will centre around the development of the Insular Programme for Comprehensive Care for the Elderly Islénior: the care you deserve; the promotion of policies addressing gender violence with a comprehensive growth of the island’s network; strengthening collaboration with third sector entities for specialised care for individuals; and ensuring universal accessibility: an inclusive island.
In addition, 30 million euros are allocated for the Housing and Municipal Cooperation area, representing an increase of more than 104% compared to 2023, including over 13 million euros for public housing construction in 2025; a collaboration agreement for the Housing Plan; and more than 10 million in cooperative projects with municipalities.
Employment, Education, and Youth.- A 27% increase has been planned, amounting to a total of 39 million euros dedicated to enhancing employability and job placement opportunities to stimulate the labour market; the consolidation of scholarship and educational support policies; the promotion of Canarian content within educational curriculums and artisan trades; prevention and advancement of mental health education and healthy lifestyle choices; and the approval of the II Plan for Youth Houses of Tenerife, which allocates funds for upgrade and rehabilitation efforts.
Natural Environment and Primary Sector.- The government’s commitment to environmental initiatives is reinforced with a more sustainable budget totalling 219 million euros. The Natural Environment sector is allocated a total of 84 million euros, a 37% increase compared to 2023, dedicated to the recovery and reforestation of Tenerife’s mountains; investments in the Anaga and Teno rural parks; environmental education initiatives, protection of local flora, and fire prevention; encouraging environmental volunteering; a strong commitment to energy transition through the Energy Transition Office; and the development of competencies for comprehensive management of the El Teide National Park, which necessitates enhanced vigilance, investment, and protection as warranted.
In the face of the island’s water emergency, a determined investment of 26.4 million euros will be made in Water Services, aimed at developing an urban water supply corridor in both the northern and southern regions of Tenerife; enhancing purification and desalination capabilities for agriculture; expanding the Buenos Aires wastewater treatment plant’s capacity to process up to 30,000m3/day; and overseeing comprehensive drought management strategies.
Regarding Waste Management, 61 million euros are allocated, which is 34% more than in 2023, focusing on new waste treatment infrastructure investments featuring self-sufficient clean energy; commencement of a new organic waste biostabilisation plant; the establishment of 8 new eco-points, enhancements to existing eco-points; and investment in R&D projects centred on waste recovery and recycling.
In the Safety and Emergency sector, the budget includes 10 million euros, marking a 15% increase compared to 2023.
Emergency Services and Civil Protection – In 2023, efforts include the procurement of equipment for BRIFOR, supporting civil protection and volunteer firefighters, as well as drafting plans for a new fire station in Guía de Isora. Additionally, there is a focus on integrating cross-disciplinary areas and specialists into emergency management via CECOPIN. This is reflected in the posts.
Agricultural Sector and Animal Welfare – The region sees a marked rise of over 20 million euros devoted to the modernisation of irrigation systems. Altogether, 38.5 million euros have been allocated for this sector. Key areas of focus comprise ensuring convenient access to irrigation water in sufficient quality and quantity for the Tenerife agricultural landscape, advocating for generational transition, promoting local products, and investing in R&D&I initiatives. Additionally, there is an aim to expand the island’s network of farmers’ markets and develop a collective of animal shelters.
Equality – The Cabildo of Tenerife firmly commits to equality policies and the prevention of gender-based violence, with a 16% increase in financial resources compared to 2023. Noteworthy initiatives include the inaugural Symposium on adolescent violence prevention, awareness campaigns for International Women’s Day, visibility actions during LGTBIQA+ Pride, and a funding line for diversity projects to municipalities with populations under 30,000.
Tourism and External Affairs – The island government anticipates a 28% increase, translating to 46 million euros earmarked for the sustainable rejuvenation of neglected public spaces. Initiatives will aim to enhance Tenerife’s image through sports tourism, cultural tourism, and culinary tourism, in addition to attracting investment for the island’s economic diversification, exemplified by the Ibero-American Mipyme Forum.
Industry and Commerce – Planned activities encompass establishing a conservation entity for the Güímar Industrial Estate, implementing programmes for industrial areas, revitalising the sector’s image, launching new projects, enhancing Fairgrounds infrastructure, improving subsidy offerings to bolster Tenerife’s commerce, strengthening the management network of Open Commercial Zones, and energising the commercial fabric of Tenerife.
Culture – Commitment in this sphere continues to grow, with total funding reaching 50 million euros, including 7 million euros dedicated to the Cultural Infrastructure Plan; over 2 million euros aimed at advancing the Arts District; support for the audiovisual and music sectors; and initiatives towards improving accessibility and diversity within cultural offerings.
Sports – The budget allocates 12 million euros for sports infrastructure, with a focus on encouraging physical activity in schools for younger generations. Furthermore, funding for athletes, clubs, and federations is set to increase, providing a significant boost to youth teams by over 2 million euros.
Innovation, Research, and Development – This sector sees a 16% growth, with plans to expand the Institute of Technologies for Biomedicine in collaboration with ULL, fostering the establishment of biomedical spin-offs. Additionally, doctoral support programmes in priority research areas are to be developed, along with advancements in satellite technology and its applications for public services. This includes the implementation of satellite constellation manufacturing companies and a teleoperation port, as well as launching half a dozen satellites to aid in the prevention of forest fires and disasters.
Administration, Spatial Planning, and Heritage Preservation – This sector has been allocated 22 million euros, reflecting a 70% increase compared to 2023. Planned actions involve rehabilitation and adaptation projects surrounding the Plaza de la Basílica de Candelaria, initiation of works on the Santa Catalina Park in La Gallega, restoration of Casa Lola in Guía de Isora and Casa Soler in Vilaflor, and enhancements to the Mirador de La Centinela in San Miguel. Furthermore, there will be reinforcement of funding lines for the rehabilitation and restoration of heritage assets, the introduction of new subsidy lines for projects within BIC environments, along with the launch of the Island Catalogue of Landscape Enclaves and the new Tenerife Landscape Cooperation Programme.
