Nueva Canarias-Bloque Canarista (NC-BC) has held a meeting with the residents of Playa Honda to learn firsthand about the demands and deficiencies that this town maintains in order to transfer them to the relevant institutions.
The deputy and island president of the Canaristas in Lanzarote, Yoné Caraballo, along with the spokesperson for NC-BC in San Bartolomé, Pablo Yebra, went to the Playa Honda Civic Center, who have conveyed to the residents the support of their formation and the availability of work to take any initiative to both the Parliament of the Canary Islands and the City Council.
The Canaristas have proposed to the residents that they claim from the San Bartolomé City Council the creation of a Playa Honda Neighborhood Council, which is a citizen participation body that serves to collect firsthand the demands and proposals of the residents.
“The Neighborhood Councils are spaces for citizen participation that maintain a direct relationship with the council, given that councilors from the City Council would also be in them”, comments Pablo Yebra, who indicates that “the residents of Playa Honda are concerned about different issues such as the lack of parking and universal mobility; the deficiencies in the provision of public services such as the Health Center; citizen security, noise, etc. All these demands can be channeled by the Neighborhood Council”.
Aspects such as the future Health Center were also criticized given the slowdown in its implementation. Here Yoné Caraballo was clear with the residents when expressing that, according to what emerges from the health policy of the current Government of the Canary Islands of Coalición Canaria (CC) and Partido Popular (PP), there is no intention to expand the health infrastructure of Primary Care in Lanzarote.
“In this legislature we will not see any new infrastructure in health matters. Neither Health Centers in Playa Honda and Argana Alta, nor expansion of the Molina Orosa Hospital, nor 24-hour Continuous Care in Mala and, I fear, nor that famous remodeling of the Insular that has served as an excuse to transfer users”, expresses Caraballo, who “understands the frustration of the residents of Playa Honda for this long-awaited infrastructure”.
For the Canaristas, Playa Honda is a town that has experienced significant demographic growth, but its public infrastructure has not grown at the same rate. In addition, it is a sensitive nucleus with unique problems as it has the airport a few meters away and the main highway of the island.
“There are health and rest problems. The airport is a cause of noise and pollution, and the solutions that AENA and the City Council have given are insufficient”, maintains Yoné Caraballo, who points out that “the well-being of the residents is a very serious matter. It is no coincidence that in Playa Honda there are many residents with problems of rest, mental health, stress and anxiety. It is a public health problem that we must study and find solutions”.