The Governing Group of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, formed by Coalición Canaria and the Popular Party, have taken stock of their first year at the head of the island corporation in a press conference held this Thursday, in which the president Oswaldo Betancort was accompanied by the vice president, Jacobo Medina and the rest of the counselors.
The president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, has reviewed the main "milestones" achieved and has highlighted that "this first year of intense work has allowed us to achieve social peace with the Third Sector, sign the island pact with the municipalities that have Tourist Centers, lay the foundations for the planning and protection of the territory and recover millions of investments in water infrastructures".
The vice president of the Island Corporation, Jacobo Medina, positively assessed the end of the year of Government and described it as "a success for all of Lanzarote and La Graciosa. It has been 365 days of transformation in all aspects, an exercise of unprecedented reactivation of the island economy, with the largest investment in infrastructure and improvement of the quality of life of the residents of both islands," he added.
During this time, the governing group of the Cabildo of Lanzarote has managed to launch the Third Sector Law and award the main mental health and dependency services to NGOs, through Social Agreements, a historical demand of associations and users, and for which the Cabildo of Lanzarote has allocated 35.5 million euros.
Similarly, Betancort stressed that "the construction and management of the Tahíche Senior Residence is about to be awarded thanks to the commendable work of Marci Acuña who, after a tortuous path during the previous term, in which only the first stone was laid and they were not even able to cancel a contract with the previous awardee".
In the field of Social Services and Senior Care, the president of the Cabildo highlighted the Strategic Action Plan for Inclusion, with the so-called Orange Points, the bidding for the Children's Centers with an investment of more than five million euros, the more than 400,000 euros for the emergency social aid program or the launch of the La Graciosa Day Center and the first Island Council for the elderly also on the eighth island, the latter actions having been addressed by the counselor of the area, Nori Machín.
The president of the Cabildo highlighted the "island pact achieved with the municipalities of Haría, Yaiza and Tinajo for the increase in the fee they receive for entry to the Tourist Centers, which will undoubtedly result in the improvement of the investments of these municipalities in their citizens".
Under the mandate of the CC-PP pact, new health and care resources have been put into operation in the Cabildo of Lanzarote, such as the Radiotherapy Unit, in October last year, the inauguration in December of the Radiotherapy Oncology Unit of the University Hospital Dr. José Molina Orosa or the new parking lot next to the Hospital for almost a hundred spaces.
For his part, the vice president of the Island Institution, Jacobo Medina, highlighted, within his management areas, the work carried out by the Public Works area to "reactivate projects forgotten in the previous mandate. We have opened the project drawer and have been able to revive the project of the future university campus and the Congress Palace, infrastructures that had been forgotten and that we were able to move forward".
Likewise, Oswaldo Betancort had words of gratitude for his government partners of the PP and for all the counselors of the Island Corporation and, at this point, highlighted the work in terms of planning and protection of the territory and landscape of Lanzarote. "When we arrived at the island government, the entire administrative process of the revision of the PIOL, Island Plan for Territorial Planning, had been thrown away, and also the more than 600,000 euros that its drafting cost, and the same happened with most of the tools that protect the natural spaces of Lanzarote and La Graciosa," lamented the president.
Planning and protection of the territory
Precisely, next September the public company Gesplan will deliver to the Cabildo of Lanzarote the draft of the Island Plan for Territorial Planning of Lanzarote, PIOL, according to the president of the Cabildo, who reviewed within the Area of Territorial Policy, great achievements of this year, such as the drafting of the Initial Strategic Document of the Special Plan of the Protected Landscape of La Geria, the investment of 3.5 million for the environmental and farm recovery of this unique space, included in the Salvar La Geria framework program, the approval of the processing of the Master Plan for Use and Management of the Chinijo Archipelago Natural Park, PRUG, or the draft of the Los Volcanes Natural Park "with an investment of more than one million euros for the restoration of the volcanic cones".
In this section, Betancort also established as faits accomplis the implementation of the Environmental Assessment body "which accelerates the reports on territorial regulations and which was in the hands of the Canary Islands Government given the inability of the previous government team of the Cabildo to move it forward".
Regarding the protection of natural spaces, the highest responsible of the Island Corporation was blunt in stating that "the indiscriminate influx of visitors is being curbed thanks to the measures to control the number of people who approach the Volcán del Cuervo and Caldera Blanca".
The Cabildo of Lanzarote has an annual allocation of 475,000 euros to limit these visits with the hiring of 12 unemployed people who will regulate the influx to these spaces, "just as we are also in the process of doing so in the Charco de Los Clicos".
The creation of the first Council of the Unesco Global Geopark of Lanzarote and the Chinijo Archipelago, the promotion of the Biosphere Reserve Council, the approval of the sustainable energy ordinances that will regulate the installation of photovoltaic and wind power, or the "declassification" of 1,348 tourist beds are, in the words of the president of the Cabildo, "clear examples of our policy of conservation of the territory and regulation of the carrying capacity and implementation of renewables in which both Jesús Machín, Samuel Martín and Miguel Ángel Jiménez have been working, who has also launched the Toda Lanzarote Energy Community, another example of the great synergy that currently exists in public-private collaboration".
At the same time, the maintenance contracts for the wind farms of the Island Water Consortium have been put out to tender, after they were deserted in a first call that was launched, and the necessary foundations are being laid to install the four new windmills of the San Bartolomé wind farm.
The most real and social budget in history
The vice-president also underlined the great management carried out by the Treasury and Contracting Area, which is headed by Councillor María Jesús Tovar. "The area has been able to advance numerous projects from different areas of the first corporation, without putting a single obstacle and working towards the achievement of the projects," said Medina.
However, the work of the Treasury and Contracting Department has not only been the preparation of this budget, but also in different projects such as the drafting of the draft approval of a contracting instruction using public procurement as a tool to consolidate socially responsible public purchasing.
This responsibility was also evident in the creation of the Corporate Social Responsibility Unit, a pioneering area in Corporations and promoted by María Jesús Tovar, which has managed to promote corporate volunteering and has even achieved that the Cabildo of Lanzarote be the headquarters of blood donation in the province of Las Palmas.
Lanzarote and La Graciosa, two increasingly safe islands
The Lanzarote Safety and Emergency Consortium has dealt with more than 1,000 services and emergency situations during the last year. "Our hearts still skip a beat when we think about the fire that devastated the Zonzamas landfill and which, thanks to the great action of the Lanzarote firefighters, was quickly extinguished," explained the vice president.
In addition, the Consortium, directed by Councillor Francisco J. Aparicio, has a highly qualified fire-fighting corps who demonstrated their prowess in vehicle extrication by participating in the World Rescue Challenge held in Lanzarote, and the second place achieved in the National Traffic Accident Meeting held last month in A Coruña.
"Likewise, the Emergency Consortium is increasingly expanding its fleet with the acquisition of a new fire truck and a 4x4 vehicle for the island of La Graciosa," explained the vice president, who also positively assessed "the works of the Tías fire station and the search for land for a future fire station in Haría and Playa Blanca".
An Island Sports Service
The daily work of the Island Sports Service has been reflected in the countless events and activities carried out by the area directed by Juan Monzón.
"The Area has been able to draft the bases of up to four modalities of competitive subsidies, demonstrating total transparency and equal opportunities," explained the vice president, who placed special value on "the impetus and work to undertake different projects to improve sports infrastructures".
"In collaboration with the Public Works area, we have been able to reopen the Heraclio Niz wrestling ground at the Ciudad Deportiva Lanzarote, as well as the reopening and commissioning of the Island Nautical Sports Center, responding to a historical demand of the sports community," said Jacobo Medina.
Likewise, the Island Sports Service has achieved two very important commitments from the Canary Islands Government that directly affect sports lovers: the start of an agreement between the Cabildo, the regional Executive and the Canary Islands Wrestling Federation for a project that promotes vernacular sport in the classroom; and the refurbishment of the Blas Cabrera Felipe High School Pavilion.
Recovery of million-dollar investments
The president of the Cabildo made a presentation of the situation in which the water infrastructures in Lanzarote were found, "as a result of the obsolescence of the desalination plants, the lack of communication between Canal Gestión and the Water Consortium during the previous mandate of the Cabildo and the null management of the investments and water agreements of the previous stage". According to Betancort, "of the 57 projects planned by the Water Consortium, only three had been launched".
In this first year of management, the new governing group has given the go-ahead to the processing of investments for almost 62 million euros, of which 24.4 have been recovered from the agreement with the public company SEIASA for irrigation in the north of the island and another 37.5 thanks to the recent signing of the addendum to the agreement with ACUAES for the wastewater treatment plants of Arrecife and Tías.
"We found a desalination plant, Lanzarote III, which out of its four frames, one was not working and another was paralyzed as soon as we arrived in June. And it was at that point that we had to accelerate the agreement to bring to the island two portable desalination plants that were operating in La Palma, due to the volcano crisis; we met with the Canary Islands Government countless times, we launched an emergency action plan valued at 90 million euros which includes, among other actions, undertaking the renewal of the supply network in the 38 streets of the island with the highest number of breakdowns and which will extend until 2027," explained the president of the Cabildo, who thanked the tireless work of the counselor of the area, Domingo Cejas.
Housing and public transport
The president of the Cabildo also highlighted the decree of urgent measures in housing matters that has been approved by the Canary Islands Government and that has allowed the Cabildo and the Canarian Executive to sign a framework cooperation agreement that "is allowing us to acquire land for public housing with an initial investment of 5,180,000 euros in municipalities such as Arrecife and Yaiza, for the moment, and as we can continue to acquire new plots throughout the island".
In terms of transport, Betancort highlighted the launch of the Island Plan for Sustainable Transport and Mobility of Lanzarote for the period 2024-2031, the "soon" tender for the regular passenger transport service, which "will expand the fleet, timetables and routes of the buses, as we have already done with the connections to the south of the island", as well as the improvements that have been made to the bus stations of Arrecife, Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise, the 4 million allocated to the new urban bus shelters or the purchase of 3 new hybrid buses financed with 1.4 million euros of European funds.
Recovery of the island's economy through public works
Jacobo Medina also detailed the work that has been carried out during a year in the Public Works area and in the Planning and Coordination of Projects area.
"I remember a year ago, when I returned to the Public Works area, I talked about the project drawer. That drawer where I left numerous projects, many of them ready to go out to tender, and two years later, they were there, in the same place," said Medina.
"Far from giving up, we set to work, hand in hand with the technicians and workers of the Island Corporation, not only to move these projects forward, but also to initiate what is urgent and necessary to improve the lives of Lanzarote and Graciosa residents," said the vice president.
In this regard, Jacobo Medina recalled the extraordinary extension granted by the Canary Islands Government so as not to have to return nearly seven million euros for unexecuted FDCAN projects, given the inaction of the previous government.
"We have historically increased the amount of the Municipal Cooperation Plans, and we continue to help the different municipalities to undertake different projects through public funds such as FDCAN, Agenda 2030, or the Next Generation Funds," explained the vice president, who also valued the great progress of the Playa Honda Urban Park.
"We recovered the Island Road Margins Service, we recovered the diving center project in Puerto del Carmen, and we undertook the acceleration lanes at the barracks roundabout and eliminated the median of the LZ-20 side road, which shows that with effort it was possible," said Medina, who also highlighted the construction of the General Hospital Parking, which is already nearing completion.
"We will continue to transform Lanzarote and La Graciosa and reactivate the island's economy through Public Works," concluded Medina.
Qualified destination, food and wine and primary sector
The tourist promotion of Lanzarote is oriented, according to the planning of the SPEL, Lanzarote Foreign Promotion Society, towards the identification of a qualified tourism model, towards sustainability and tourism intelligence. In this point, the programs related to Segittur for the Smart Tourist Development model, the Smart Island project or the participation in the board of directors of NECSTouR, the Association of European Regions for competitiveness and sustainability, have been intensified.
The president of the Cabildo also highlighted the launch of tourist products and facilities such as the Atlantic Museum or the tourist orientation of the Arrecife Nautical Bay, within what has been defined as a new brand architecture for Lanzarote, which was presented last May in Jameos del Agua, under the slogan "Lanzarote, the different island".
And special emphasis has been placed in the Cabildo of Lanzarote on the recovery of the Saborea Lanzarote food and wine festival in its tenth edition, held last November, "with record attendance and participation and which has managed to integrate all the economic and social agents that make up the value chain of food and wine tourism," as Oswaldo Betancort pointed out,
"An initiative that has already crossed borders, which places us at the forefront of proposals to promote the primary sector and restaurants and which is an incentive for our agriculture and for zero-kilometer products," added the president.
As for the primary sector, the president highlighted the economic support effort being made, "we have increased subsidies to farmers, ranchers and fishermen to 2 million euros". Also in this section, he highlighted that more than 300,000 euros are being invested to modernize the island's slaughterhouse, that 16 warehouses for fishermen are being built in Puerto Naos and that a boost has been given to the island's Agrarian Training School.
Art, Culture and Tourism Centers
"We have reached the 21st century thanks to the arrival of Ángel Vázquez, as we have implemented online ticket sales and have achieved a historic and necessary update of the rates, finally putting value on the tourist centers," added the vice president.
Likewise, in the management of the Tourist Centers, it is also worth noting the resizing of the gastronomic proposal, thus placing the restaurants of the different centers at the top of culinary criticism.
"The problem with the economic distribution was enormous, and an agreement has been reached to establish a new fee with the Cabildo that does not depend on budgets or non-objective criteria," said Medina.
The opening of negotiations with the municipalities for an agreement that fairly transfers the rate increase to them, as well as to the staff, was another of the major problems that Vázquez encountered upon arrival.
"The great management has managed to approve the collective agreement, another great achievement of this Governing Group," added Medina.
Scholarships, Culture, Youth and heritage care
In the area of Education, the Cabildo of Lanzarote has updated the calls for university study grants for the 21-22 and 22-23 calls and we have issued those corresponding to this academic year, doubling their amounts to 700,000 euros and 1.5 million euros from the Treasury surplus will be used for improvements to educational infrastructure throughout the island.
Proof of the great acceptance of the different cultural events organized by the Cabildo of Lanzarote has been the recent Lanzarote Urban Contest, of urban music, with the performance of Cruz Cafuné, the II Book Fair, the Lava Live Festival or the Lanzarote International Film Festival.
In Youth, the Department managed by Aroa Revelo, has created, together with Social Welfare, the Island Addiction Prevention Board, the Youth Plan (JAIPE 2024-2030), the Youth Information Service, the management of the Papagayo Camping Area or the recovery of the La Santa youth hostel, in addition to collaborating in a multitude of activities for young people such as the Emec Festival,
Canarias Surf Film and in the proposals put forward by the different municipalities.
As for Heritage, the Island Corporation has already unblocked the architectural project for the rehabilitation of the Plaza de Las Palmas, has announced subsidies of 400,000 euros for interventions in buildings, as well as a similar amount for the Zonzamas archaeological park, among many other initiatives of the department headed by Ascen Toledo.
The Cabildo from within
Regarding the internal functioning of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and its relationship with the public, the head of the first Institution stressed that the Cabildo is an institution open to society. "I keep my office open to all citizens every Monday afternoon. And we have also increased the channels of information to the public, which, in addition to the usual ones, we have made available to Lanzarote and Graciosa residents a new communication channel through the official Whatsapp Channel of the Cabildo," said the president.
The Cabildo also, through the Human Resources Area headed by Miguel Ángel Jiménez, has drawn up the first Human Resources Planning Plan, which includes the drafting of the RPT, Job Position Report, already in the bidding process, in addition to a project to make the staff permanent and a study of the needs for new staff, as well as the already implemented protocol for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment.