The head of the Socialist Group and general secretary of the PSOE of Tenerife, Pedro Martín, unveiled this Tuesday the comprehensive amendment to the 2025 island accounts, alongside over 103 specific amendments (in the event that the comprehensive amendment is not accepted), as he asserts that the current governance model of the coalition (CC and PP) “is not aligned with what we deem necessary.”
The socialists maintain that the president of the insular corporation, Rosa Dávila (Canary Coalition), “has not fulfilled her promise to eliminate queues within 90 days, nor has there been any significant reduction, indicating signs of stagnation for the upcoming year. This is evident in the budgets, which show a mere increase of 1.2%, in contrast to the 8% that Dávila had promised, resulting in a real reduction of over 40 million and a failure to address the critical issues facing the Island: housing, roads and mobility, wastewater management, drought, and the administration of social care for individuals, including collaboration with municipalities, especially those that are resource-limited and have smaller populations.”
According to the PSOE, the budget allocated for housing by the island government is just 0.97% of the total budget (10.3 million compared to the overall 1,057.40 million euros). With the proposed budget alterations from the socialists, “over 50.7 million would be earmarked for housing, representing nearly 5% of the corporation’s total budget.”
In total, Pedro Martín has proposed budget modifications amounting to almost 161 million euros, organised into various significant areas: Housing; Environment, climate change and the right to a clean sea; Active ageing, the intergenerational gap, and social policies; Primary sector and animal welfare; Municipal cooperation and mobility.
With a proposal of 23.7 million euros for Housing, the initiative named “TenCasa” aims to take on the new powers that the councils have received since 2024 for the promotion of public housing, which would be realised through the establishment of the public commercial entity, Social Housing of Tenerife (Visoten).
Additional elements of this scheme will include grants for young individuals to support their independence, the establishment of a programme enabling single elderly residents to share their homes with young students, the revival and enhancement of the Housing Directorate, which was shut down by the current island government, as well as programmes enabling municipalities to acquire land for housing developments or the rehabilitation of existing homes.
In Environment, with allocated funds totalling 38 million euros, the “No + leaks” initiative aims to assist municipalities in reducing water loss within their supply networks, improving sanitation infrastructure, and facilitating the connection of residences to these systems. It also seeks to boost funding for the construction of water treatment and recycling facilities, aiming to prevent discharges into the sea, and to support flood prevention efforts by acting on the channels of the Barrancos. This is part of the PSOE’s commitment to environmental protection, combating the consequences of climate change, and ensuring the right to a clean marine environment.
Furthermore, in light of the waste management concerns in Tenerife, the PSOE suggests a series of grants to municipalities to encourage waste separation at the source, thereby improving the efficiency of the management of waste sent to the PIRS of Arico. Additionally, it involves establishing a programme to create shaded areas in educational institutions.
They also advocate for the introduction of a intergenerational programme allowing single elderly individuals to share their homes with young students, alongside the development of the insular housing office project, which will provide a technical team to aid municipalities in land development, though not reclassification.
In addition to a rapid response plan addressing the critical situation of dependency in Tenerife and policies combating gender violence, including specific measures for cyber violence against women, this programme proposes, among other initiatives, the establishment of new social and healthcare placements.
In particular, the Socialist Group suggests the establishment of two new facilities, one located in the northern area (Tacoronte) and another in the south (Granadilla de Abona), with an allocation of 13.9 million euros aimed at generating nearly 150 additional places.
Under the banner of Municipal Cooperation, priority and urgent works programmes are put forward for local councils, employment initiatives in partnership with municipalities, the reinstatement of the Technical Assistance Office for Municipalities, as well as a scheme for playgrounds. Furthermore, the Socialist Group has put forth a plan for the creation and installation of shaded areas in educational establishments across the Island, supported financially by the Cabildo, to mitigate the impacts of solar radiation on the school community.
Regarding Mobility, with a financial allocation of 18,027,000 euros in amendments, efforts will be made to advance completed projects, enhance the number of buses and personnel in Titsa, and also encourage a demand-responsive transport service, Tuwawa, which collaborates closely with Titsa and taxis.
In terms of Security, the PSOE regards the establishment of a fire station as “essential”, particularly in the southern region, to enhance surveillance in the Teide National Park, which has experienced numerous acts of vandalism over the past year and a half. Additionally, they advocate for the “comprehensive” renovation of the Heliodoro Rodríguez López stadium to honour its “entirely refurbished” centenary, a commitment that, according to the socialists, has yet to be fulfilled by the island Council.
