The president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote indicated during the opening session of the debate on the State of the Island that "this legislature has seen the much-demanded transformation and modernization of the Department of Social Welfare, key throughout this mandate," warning that the area will change its name to Social Rights, in line with the equivalent Ministry of the Government of the Canary Islands.
"It is not just a change of name to Social Rights, but a profound structural transformation led by the head of the department, Isabel Martín, and a highly motivated staff fully committed to protecting the rights of the most disadvantaged people and the most vulnerable groups in society," Corujo explained.
"We have decentralized the department's offices to expand our scope of action and have incorporated 28 professionals from various fields into the Social Rights team, including a data analyst, who will allow us to know more and better the users to focus our efforts on providing effective and efficient solutions."
"In record time, and with a political formation putting all the obstacles within its reach, we still do not know with what dark purpose, we have managed to regularize the services of the Reception Centers for Unaccompanied Minors of La Santa (80 places, Social Response 21st century) and Yaiza (15 places, FEPAS Foundation); the Las Cabreras Day Center for the Elderly, the dependencies of La Graciosa and the Doctor Domingo de Guzmán Residence (Clece) to put an end to an embarrassing situation that meant not only an intolerable administrative irregularity but an unacceptable irresponsibility," Corujo maintained.
Regarding the Intellectual Disability Care Service, the president stated that it "will experience a very important improvement as a result of the regularization of the service to provide greater well-being to patients and families, our main and only concern." "Nothing has been decided regarding the mechanism for providing the service," Corujo clarified, who pointed out as "fundamental" the entry into operation of the Regulation that regulates the presence of the third sector. At this point, the president raised her voice to condemn "the regrettable action of those who have sown fear and unease in search of a miserable political gain with a debate surprisingly focused, maliciously, on the way to provide the service and not on the quality of it."
Next, the president recounted the projects in which the department is working, among which she highlighted "the awarding of the network of care centers for national minors to the Samu Foundation for an amount of 4.3 million euros; the upcoming tender for the San Roque Residence for the Elderly and the work that will allow adapting said residence to accessibility regulations, with 4.3 million and 0.5 million euros of budget, respectively" and "the tender for a new adapted transport contract to serve almost 200 users, for more than five million euros," among others.
"Of course, we continue to improve our protocols for the care of victims of gender violence through technicians of the institution and an agreement with the Mararía association," she added.
"The pandemic uncovered a reality that underlies the island. We worked together with the Red Cross and Emerlan to respond to the needs of more than 100 homeless people who lived the most severe confinement in two resources enabled ex professo and who, thanks to that collaboration, did not have to return to the street after the confinement ended," she asserted.
To conclude, the president alluded to the Comprehensive Care Service for Dependent People of Lanzarote, "an ambitious project" that will optimize the resources that the municipalities, the Cabildo and the Government of the Canary Islands allocate to care for people with dependency. "We are initiating the procedures to constitute the consortium that will provide these services, which we hope can begin during the next summer" Corujo advanced.
Intercity transport concession before June 2023
Regarding urban transport and mobility, Corujo highlighted "the work developed by the team led by Marcos Bergaz to have the renewal of the intercity transport concession operational before the end of the first semester of next year." "It is an important challenge that represents an opportunity to redefine the requirements to which the new concessionaire company must respond to have an efficient and attractive public transport for users," she said.
The president reviewed the challenges in which the department is working, among which she mentioned the project of Supply and installation of a traveler information system through information panels and a mobile application for an amount of 588,000 euros that contemplates the installation of 43 information points between Arrecife, Costa Teguise and Playa Honda; the project of urban canopies in all the municipalities of the island for a value of 50,000 euros, and the On-Demand Transport in the dispersed nuclei of the island, for a value of 10,000 euros.
Regarding the taxi service, she recalled the subsidies granted to improve the equipment, modernization and management of the service for a value of 50,000 euros per year, and the 229,997 euros destined to minimize the impact of the crisis caused by Covid-19.
Among the future projects, she announced that "the project to execute the Preferential Stop in Costa Teguise is being prepared, with a planned investment of 2.2 million euros, and the purchase of three vehicles, one electric and two hybrid, for the regular transport of passengers for an amount of 1.4 million. "Both operations will be financed with Next Generation funds," she concluded.
