The president of the Sí Podemos Canarias Parliamentary Group, María del Río, has valued the effort of the Ministry of Social Rights, headed by her colleague Noemí Santana, "to strengthen municipal social services in Lanzarote”.
In this regard, the Lanzarote deputy has pointed out that the Concerted Plan provides 1,600,000 euros for Lanzarote this year and that Arrecife, “possibly the municipality with the greatest needs, will receive a total of 693,829 euros, 36.5 percent more than in 2020, which we hope, together with the funds that are yet to come, will be used wisely and efficiently”.
“And due to proximity, because it is my municipality, I want to highlight and positively value the effort that is being made from the Tías City Council, thanks to the Concerted Plan, it has been possible to hire the entire team for minors and families, support is being given to the management of the PCI, and the most vulnerable population is being cared for with Emergency Benefits, preventing the interruption of water and electricity supplies, stopping evictions, and caring for homeless people. Also doing a great job with the Food Bank that already serves 700 families, almost 3,000 people,” he insisted.
Del Río reminded Santana that the city councils “are the gateway to Social Services, the first door that residents knock on when they are in trouble”, but that “unfortunately, with the previous crisis and its austerity policies, the staff were dismantled and thinned out, until they lost the capacity to give the appropriate response to meet the needs of the citizens”.
In this sense, the Minister of Social Rights has stated that both in 2020 and 2021 there has been a commitment "to give more money to the municipalities of the Canary Islands and to do so as soon as possible, in the first months of the year". "And we do it from the conviction that social policy cannot be made without betting on municipal policy,” he added.
In addition, Santana has announced to Del Río that the state contribution to said Concerted Plan “will be increased to 5 million euros this year, adding 3 million more that will be incorporated through an addendum”. “We are at a time when we need powerful social services, which is why it is a priority to strengthen them and that is the commitment of the Government of the Canary Islands,” Santana assured.
Del Río insisted that “in this health, economic and social crisis, the entire Canarian society is suffering a very hard blow, but especially the eastern islands such as Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and La Graciosa, which, “due to their economy practically dependent on tourism, are being much more punished”.
“We need solutions but also hope and to know that we are on the right track, addressing the needs of the city councils, so that in turn they can improve care for citizens, which is what really matters,” concluded Del Río.
