The Cabildo of Lanzarote has approved this week, in plenary session and unanimously by all the political groups that make up the island plenary, the Regulations of the Island Council of the Third Sector of Social Action of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, an action framed in the Island Strategy of Accessibility and Inclusion approved in this mandate. This unprecedented and important regulatory framework has been promoted by the Area of Social Welfare and Inclusion, under the management of Councilor Marci Acuña, and will strengthen the collaboration between public institutions and entities of the Third Sector on the island.
“There are approximately 67 associations that work in social action on the island and, with this Council”, Marci Acuña clarified, “we ensure that, for the first time, the Cabildo has a participatory and consultative entity with those groups that are in need. Caregivers, family members and associations of the Third Sector will thus have a more active participation in the design of social policies deployed by the Cabildo of Lanzarote”.
The Island Council of the Third Sector of Social Action is defined as a participatory, collegiate and consultative body, attached to the Cabildo of Lanzarote through the Area of Social Welfare and Inclusion. Its main function is to serve as a space for dialogue, proposal and advice in the formulation and execution of public policies aimed at social action. In addition, its creation seeks to promote the participation of the associative movement in the improvement of the quality of life of the most vulnerable population of Lanzarote and La Graciosa.
The president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, has highlighted the relevance of this approval, stating that "this regulation is a fundamental step to consolidate the collaboration between the administration and the associative fabric of the island. The Third Sector plays an essential role in social cohesion and in the attention to those who need it most, and with this tool we guarantee a stable framework for their active participation in decision-making".
An effective integration
Councilor Marci Acuña has also stressed that "the regulation of the Island Council has been the result of a process of public consultation and legal review, in which social entities and experts from the sector have actively participated. Our goal is to provide Lanzarote and La Graciosa with a solid structure of dialogue and cooperation in the field of social action”.
The Island Council of the Third Sector of Social Action of Lanzarote and La Graciosa will be governed by a legal framework that includes Law 40/2015 on the Legal Regime of the Public Sector, Law 39/2015 on the Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administrations, Law 43/2015 on the Third Sector of Social Action and Law 16/2019 on Social Services of the Canary Islands, among other regulations.
The regulation, which was initially approved by the Island Governing Council on March 6, 2025, has now been ratified in the Plenary of the Cabildo, consolidating itself as a key tool for the effective integration of social entities in the planning and development of public policies in Lanzarote and La Graciosa.
“This Cabildo has done nothing else, from minute one, than work to ensure that people with some type of dependency have the best services, and we continue working like this”, Marci Acuña sentenced.
