The Estepona PSOE has voted against the initial approval of the 2023 budgets presented by the PP as they are “accounts that would show a budgetary insufficiency, if it were not for the fact that the central government maintains the spending rules for the year suspended 2023, as confirmed by the municipal intervention.
The secretary of the PSOE of Estepona, Emma Molinahas shown his surprise at the triumphalism of the PP by presenting these accounts when the government team is going to have to request a loan to be able to meet the expenses of 2023, since they do not have sufficient income.
“You spend without control. By 2022 they had budgeted 22 million in investments and have spent 46; in 2021 they also spent more than they budgeted. So far in 2022, three credit supplements, three budget modifications have been brought to full and the entire remaining treasury has been spent. If they continue in this line they will have to increase income; And how are they going to do it? doraising taxes?”.
At this point, the Socialist spokesperson recalled that the IBI, the Real Estate Tax, is still not subsidized at 50% as promised by the mayor in the electoral campaign. In addition, the government team raises the revenue forecast for public fees and prices, “which again makes us suspect that there will be a rise, as they have already done with the water rate or public prices for cultural activities. and sports”, he warns.
“On the other hand, the budget reveals that taxes amount to 87 million euros. doubtful payment. A problem that this government team has been dragging for years without providing a solution. “They have had 12 years to solve this problem. With 87 million euros many things can be done in the city, such as public housing for vulnerable families and young people, improving public services or urban transport, among other issues”, Molina pointed out.
In the chapter of staff, the PSOE has criticized that the salary increase of 2% planned for this year has not been applied and only 1% has been raised. “We do not know if it was because they have preferred to allocate that money to buy pots and plants in a nursery,” Molina pointed out.
The socialist spokeswoman has described the management of the staff of the Local police. The vacant places due to retirement have not been foreseen, at least 20 new places are announced every year, but then they remain at three or four per year. Molina explains that “what they do is falsely inflate the budget with the forecast of these places and then allocate the money to pay for works, especially by Mr. Bonifacio Solís, who coincidentally is the main winner of the works.”
“In the mayor’s report, Mr. García Urbano boasts that he has lowered the municipal template from 1,014 employees to 595 current. But he forgets about the employees of the outsourced companies that are in charge of the public services of the city (beaches and gardens, operational services, home help, cemetery, cleaning service of municipal offices), who in total are 595. 1,137, 123 workers more than in 2011″. “Please, stop lying to the population; It is evident that through these companies they have sneaked in all those people related to their party, ”he has sentenced.
“Another of Mr. García Urbano’s recurring lies is that the budget contemplates an unlimited item for social spending”. Molina bluntly affirms that “it is a lie. In these 12 years, the items for the soup kitchen and the emergency aid have been practically the same, 18,000 and 150,000 euros, respectively. They don’t care about vulnerable families. And that is reflected in the annual accounts, where the expenses for these concepts are finally reflected”.
“Another reason why the PSOE has voted against these budgets is that the item for public transport it remains the same year after year, 142,000 euros, because public transport is not a priority for García Urbano. They accuse the mayor of generating a problem: the lack of parking, with his desire to pedestrianize and that is why a large part of the annual investments are allocated to this purpose. », they explain from the PSOE.
The alternative proposed by the PSOE for the problem of car parks goes through liberalize schedules of the public car parks already built (Antonia Guerrero Square, Athletics Stadium) so that residents can park for free outside business hours.
“Ultimately, these budgets show a model of an island city: with an apparently idyllic and postcard-like center, to satisfy visitors, isolated and difficult to access; surrounded by abandoned and dirty neighborhoods, by forgotten urbanizations; with insufficient public transport; with a municipal patrimony undersold to private companies; a city without solidarity with those who suffer the most; governed by a totalitarian mayor who is making Estepona lose its essence”, concluded Molina.