The Lanzarote parliamentarian of the Popular Group and island president of the Popular Party, Astrid Pérez, has presented a total of 13 amendments to the Draft Budget of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands for 2022, in order to increase by 6.1 million euros the economic forecasts made by the regional government for the island of Lanzarote.
Pérez's proposals focus on areas such as education, health, job creation, waste treatment, the primary sector, care for the elderly in Arrecife, as well as the improvement of judicial resources, "areas in which Lanzarote presents important and historical deficiencies, and that should be a priority for a Government, such as the one of the flower pact, which presumes to be social but has forgotten many projects pending execution on the island", says the parliamentarian.
In terms of Education, Astrid Pérez highlights the amendment valued at 300,000 euros for the creation of an Early Childhood School from 0 to 3 years in Caleta de Sebo, in La Graciosa. "Currently there are about fifteen children registered in this age group, without having the option to access this service in the Eighth Island, with the problems that this entails for families where both parents work," she stresses.
Likewise, 400,000 euros are included for the construction of a new special education center in Arrecife; another 400,000 euros for the updating and renovation of the CEP Los Geranios, an educational infrastructure with more than 25 years of life; and an initial allocation of 40,000 euros for the CEO of Maneje, in anticipation of the educational needs that will be generated by the growth that the neighborhood will experience with the construction of around 300 social houses.
Regarding health and social benefits, for the Popular Party it is essential to "give a boost to the construction of the Argana Health Center (250,000 euros), since the Arrecife City Council has already approved the change of use for health facilities of a plot of almost 4,000 square meters", as well as the Cruz Blanca senior center (300,000 euros) and a grant of 15,000 euros for the Lanzarote LGTBI association.
The proposals also focus on waste treatment with the improvement of the Zonzamas Environmental Complex, with 2.7 million euros, and the modernization of Justice (240,000 euros).
Astrid Pérez also considers "insufficient" the economic resources allocated by the Government of the Canary Islands to training and the promotion of job creation, so she amends the accounts with 200,000 euros for the diversification of the industrial sector, whose item has been eliminated in this exercise; 500,000 euros for aid to self-employment and the creation of companies; 600,000 euros to reinforce the training of unemployed people in the city of Arrecife, in addition to 200,000 euros "for the modernization of the laboratory of the Agroindustrial Complex of Teguise and ensure that the primary sector, especially farmers and ranchers, have services according to their current needs".
The Lanzarote parliamentarian trusts that on December 22, the date scheduled for the vote on the partial amendments in the regional chamber, Lanzarote and La Graciosa "can substantially improve their budget to unblock pending projects and promote new infrastructures".