The mayor of Arrecife, Astrid Pérez, this Thursday made an assessment of her three years of management at the head of the capital's government group in which she highlighted the "titanic and historic effort" made by the City Council "in social matters and assistance to people in vulnerable situations", as well as "social and economic reactivation despite the partisan, confrontational and blocking position adopted by the Cabildo with this Institution".
In her appearance, Astrid Pérez was accompanied by the Councilor for Tourism, Consumption, Commerce and Hospitality, Armando Santana, and the Councilor for Youth and Citizen Participation, Elizabeth Merino, whom she thanked for their management at the head of their respective areas as well as "the support received from Nueva Canarias and Somos Lanzarote during these three years to maintain the unity and cohesion of the municipal government."
Coalición Canaria, current government partner, did not attend the press conference. The mayor excused "the logical absence of representation of CC because their incorporation into the government has occurred seven months ago" and took the opportunity to "thank Coalición Canaria for their support during this time, guaranteeing the stability that is so necessary for the City Council and for the city."
She criticized the "partisan, confrontational and blocking position adopted by the Cabildo with this Institution." Despite this "disloyal attitude, which really harms all the citizens of the capital", -continued the mayor- "and despite the worrying economic crisis that we are suffering due to the terrible management of the government of the Socialist Party and Podemos, Arrecife has been advancing in these last three years along the path of economic reactivation and job recovery, and also in terms of its transformation, modernization and beautification as a city."
"When we arrived in June 2019, the Corporation was a structural and organizational chaos, the result of the terrible management of what has been described as the worst government in the democratic history of this municipality, which was letting Arrecife die while the city was crying out for investments, management and work, and ultimately dedication and affection; Arrecife was a ship adrift without a present and without a future, and today it is already seeing the light and recovering hope," she added.
To reach "this turning point", Astrid Pérez cited as key "the recovery by the government group of the Municipal Cooperation Plans that by law correspond to our municipality and from which for many years we could not benefit because the previous government did not present a single project and for which we were able to rescue more than 8 million euros"; as well as "making available all the resources we had in our hands within the framework of municipal powers and the internal restructuring of the Corporation."
All of this has allowed, she said, that "for the first time Arrecife has made a historic effort in terms of Social Services, activating an Aid Plan aimed at assisting the most vulnerable families and groups in the municipality, endowed with 8 million euros from its own funds, because we must not forget that in the hardest part of the pandemic the city councils did not see an extra euro from the Government or the State or the Government of the Canary Islands, despite the fact that we have always been on the front line."
Five major lines of action
Astrid Pérez divided the management of the municipal government group over these three years into five major lines or sectoral plans: Administration Modernization Plan, Infrastructure and Public Spaces Improvement Plan, Heritage Rehabilitation and Economic Revitalization Plan, Social Policy Improvement Plan and Citizen Security Improvement Plan.
Regarding the first of the aforementioned plans, the mayor highlighted the organization and modernization carried out in the City Council with the incorporation of 66 new public employees, including qualified technicians, and the creation of budget management, investment and project units, "which has allowed us to present 94 projects for an amount of 75 million European Next Generation funds."
She framed in this same axis "the high degree of execution of investor, realistic and social budgets, which in 2021 reached with nearly 80 million euros the highest figure in the history of Arrecife, of which more than 4 million were allocated to social policies", an amount that increased to 5.5 million euros in 2022. In addition, she stressed that the average payment period of the City Council has gone from 371 days in the previous term to 10 days in the current one.
She also highlighted "the 21 million euros injected into public works to generate employment and reactivate the economy", as well as "the resetting of the counter in terms of inherited millionaire debts such as the Ginory plot thanks to the 27 million credit operation that we carried out with the support of the Psoe, the almost 4.7 million owed from other expropriations, the 4.9 million euros to Urbaser, the 796,000 euros to Inalsa and the more than 4.7 million euros that have been allocated to payments to suppliers."
"Not only have we settled a debt worth more than 30 million -she continued-, but we have also done so by applying the largest tax reduction that has ever been made in this municipality with the 95% bonus in the Capital Gains Tax, 'mortis causa', the zero fee for fords for people with reduced mobility, the elimination of the fee for occupation of public spaces and the elimination of the fee for beautification of facades."
Improvement of Infrastructures and Public Spaces
From this axis Astrid Pérez highlighted the 4 million euros invested by the City Council in the urban transformation of Tenderete Street and Pedro Alcántara Square, improvement of the entrance and exit to Arrecife along León y Castillo Street, reconditioning of Canalejas Street, works on El Greco and Valencia Streets, plan to improve accessibility to Argana Alta 'Argana Accesible', improvement of accessibility to El Reducto and La Concha beaches, pedestrianization of part of Fred Olsen Avenue, improvement of Los Pinos Park, improvement of the rainwater network in the accesses to Altavista, renovation of Pío XII Square, renovation of the Argana Baja Sociocultural Center, structural renovation of the pillars of the Youth House, expansion works of the San Román Cemetery and bidding of the project for the transformation of the Theme Park.
Within this same section, the mayor highlighted "the more than 6.8 million euros invested by the City Council in the Sectoral Plan for the Improvement of Sports Infrastructures and Support for Sports" which has allowed the renovation of the Altavista football field; renovation of the turf, remodeling of changing rooms and adaptation of accessibility in the Argana Alta football field; renovation of the Titerroy Pavilion; adaptation of the Las Salinas football field; reform project of the Las Salinas sports and recreational park; improvement of lighting and renovation of perimeter irrigation of the football field of the Puerto de Arrecife Sports Park; full repair of the municipal Latin sailing boat Puerto del Arrecife; as well as the award of the service of concierge, maintenance and conservation of municipal sports facilities.
In the chapter of public works she also mentioned "the ambitious Plan for Conditioning and Improvement of the 13 public schools in the municipality, many of which presented a serious deterioration, with a maintenance plan budgeted at 5.5 million euros in 4 years, a cleaning plan for 2.9 million euros, the bidding of the contract for the gatehouse of the 13 schools for 1.2 million euros, the improvement of the school environment of Nieves Toledo with an investment of 400,000 euros, in addition to the future renovation of the bathrooms of the schools." In terms of education, she also highlighted the increase in aid for the transport of students on the island, which has gone from 175,000 to 250,00 euros.
Within the chapter of infrastructures, Astrid Pérez also mentioned the Plan for the Improvement of Children's Parks, which has involved the modernization of 44 parks with an investment of 1.4 million euros, in addition to the renovation of all the bio-healthy parks in the municipality, the launch of the calisthenics parks in the Charco de San Ginés and the Las Salinas sports and recreational park, to promote physical activity outdoors, and the renovation carried out in the Skate Park of the Theme Park.
With regard to transport and mobility, she stressed that "we have managed to give the green light to the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan of Arrecife and begin the execution of the new traffic light network, an ambitious project of the City Council, and not of the Cabildo as it has indignantly wanted to appropriate, which involves the renovation of 200 traffic lights and 28 surveillance cameras budgeted at more than 2 million euros co-financed with FDCAN funds."
On the other hand, she pointed out that "public transport has been reinforced with four daily buses, increasing two more bus lines that connect all the neighborhoods every 20 minutes, thus reducing the frequency of schedules, in addition to the fact that seven new drivers have been hired, the purchase of three new electric buses has already been awarded; and in terms of taxis, the rates have been updated and subsidies will soon be launched for the adaptation of vehicles for people with reduced mobility and modernization of the service."
Regarding the environmental policy carried out in these three years, Astrid Pérez highlighted the plan to eliminate illegal landfills and cleaning in plots and streets, which has allowed the removal of 440,000 kilos of waste, more green areas in the city and the beautification of public spaces; the award of the first irrigation network of the capital for more than 680,000 euros; the bidding of the project for the regeneration of the Charco de San Ginés, the recovery of the Blue Flag of El Reducto Beach; the removal of more than 400 abandoned vehicles; as well as the planting of more than 400 trees through the Tree Plan.
Heritage Rehabilitation and Economic Revitalization Plan
Astrid Pérez pointed out this Plan as the third major axis of municipal management "with the constitution of the Municipal Heritage Council with the aim of protecting, conserving and restoring the historical heritage of Arrecife, in addition to the fact that we have awarded Gesplan the contract for the drafting of the Catalog of Real Estate with heritage value of the municipality."
In this section she stressed that "this government group is the only one that in the last 20 years has really cared about the architectural heritage of our city, and we do so not by letting it fall to the ground as they seem to want from the Cabildo, but by granting licenses for its rehabilitation", listing in this sense numerous examples.
In relation to housing and urban planning, she pointed out that "after 26 years without building public housing in Arrecife by the Government of the Canary Islands, from the City Council we ceded land in July 2019 to execute 400 social houses in Maneje, but three years have already passed, so I take the opportunity to ask once again the Canarian Government to start the work." She also stressed the updating of the ordinances for rehabilitation aid, almost doubling the amount of the same to 200,00 euros.
Regarding urban planning, Astrid Pérez highlighted the signing of the new agreement for the processing of the Supplementary Plan of Arrecife; the beginning of the procedures for the transfer of land for the Argana Alta Health Center; the approval of the agreement for the opening of the Islote de La Fermina, "agreement that has not been signed by the Cabildo or Tourist Centers" -she pointed out-; as well as the approval of the agreement with the Environmental Body.
In the section on economic recovery and job creation, the mayor stressed that "this government has invested 6.3 million euros in employment plans, which has allowed us to hire more than 577 unemployed people; in addition to streamlining numerous urban licenses to reactivate the economy and generate employment, having resolved more than 800 processed files of minor works."
In this area, she also highlighted the creation of the Hospitality and Commerce Board, the updating and census of authorized stalls in the tourist craft market, the dynamization of economic activity through the Tapas Fair and the Christmas Market, as well as the municipal sponsorship of cultural events already consolidated as Arrecife en Vivo, Sonidos Líquidos, International Jazz Festival or Noches de Fermina. She also mentioned the obtaining of the SICTED tourist quality seal for the Tourist Information Office of the Casa de la Cultura Agustín de la Hoz and the launch of the Arrecife Gastronómica APP.
Social Policy Improvement Plan
Within this axis, the mayor highlighted "the historical effort and the substantial increases made in social policies, with the launch of the Social Emergency Plan endowed with 4 million euros for direct aid to families with fewer resources for expenses of mortgages, rents, nursery, school supplies, etcetera, financed with own funds of the City Council and that have served as an effective umbrella and real protection of our neighbors."
She also stressed that "during the confinement almost 3,000 food parcels were delivered, for which almost half a million euros were allocated and the social dining project for homeless people was launched together with Emerlan, the first in the history of Arrecife, worth 264,000 euros." As for social aid, she put the number of grants awarded in these three years at almost 3,000 for an approximate amount of 2.7 million euros.
She specified in "something more than one million euros what we have allocated to the Home Help Service benefiting 340 users, 500,000 euros in subsidizing 23 projects of NGOs and associations and 240,000 euros allocated to a new line of aid for reforms of vulnerable homes."
In this section, she also highlighted the launch of the Active Aging Program, the Addiction Prevention Plan, the processing of more than 800 applications for the Canarian Insertion Benefit, the reinforcement of the Social Services staff with 14 employees and the bidding of the Specialized Care Service for Victims of Gender Violence.
Citizen Security Improvement Plan
Regarding this fifth axis, she highlighted the adaptation works of the new headquarters of the Local Police for more than 375,000 euros, the incorporation of eight agents, a deputy commissioner, an inspector and three internal promotion officers, the acquisition of seven new vehicles, two of which are electric, as well as three electric motorcycles, the call for seven new positions in the 2022 Public Employment Offer, the installation of security cameras in different strategic points of the city and the incorporation of the internal management software VinfoPol.
In addition, and in relation to the Civil Protection corps, Astrid Pérez pointed out that Arrecife "is the first City Council of Lanzarote that has an approved Risk Prevention and Action Plan to give an effective response to emergencies due to possible floods, in addition to the fact that the self-protection plans of the schools are being drafted."
