The Local Committee of Nueva Canarias-Canarista Bloc (NC-BC) in Arrecife has supported the statements of the Minister of Tourism and Employment of the Canary Islands Government, Jéssica de León of the Popular Party (PP), who stated that "the Canary Island councils not only have the duty, but also have the tools to regulate the activity of tourist apartments in their municipalities." As a result of these statements, NC has asked the mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León, to "follow the recommendations of the minister" and to "take measures to control housing speculation."
In addition, the minister criticizes the inaction of the councils because "they have had nine long years to implement Decree Law 113/2015 and comply with the Regulations relating to classified activities" and "it is the decision of the councils that have always been competent to regulate holiday homes in accordance with their planning."
For her part, Sheila Guillén, spokesperson for Nueva Canarias in the Arrecife City Council, supports the statements of the Minister of Tourism and Employment. "Her words confirm what we have been saying from NC since the beginning of the year, that the Arrecife City Council has sufficient powers to carry out public policies aimed at alleviating the housing crisis suffered by the people of Arrecife and Lanzarote," she says. Likewise, the spokesperson recalls that this measure was "proposed in January of this year along with others such as the declaration of a stressed area that would curb the rise in rental prices in Arrecife, which is currently at historical highs in price and demand."
On the other hand, the government group has asked the government group of Arrecife to cooperate with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs of the Government of Spain in the open investigation to detect illegal tourist apartments in the cities. And this Institution asks the councils of the Spanish territory to collaborate to identify the advertising of illegal tourist homes. Regarding this issue, Guillén comments that "in Arrecife we have witnessed these practices that put the image of the city and the visitors themselves at risk, such as the garage where camping tents are offered or the rooftops used for tourism without licenses."