The political organization Nueva Canarias in Lanzarote and La Graciosa begins the new political year with attention focused on the housing crisis. For the Canaristas, this issue is one of the "main problems" that concern the citizens of the island, but that, on the contrary, "is not being sufficiently addressed" by the public authorities.
Thus, the Canaristas will prioritize proposing "policies that reduce the lack of housing" and, above all, access for purchase and rent for young people and middle-class employees who have stable jobs but cannot enjoy a home given the high prices that exist in the island's real estate market.
NC recalls that practically all the municipalities of Lanzarote are in a “tense” situation, as the State Housing Law qualifies it when considering a “tense zone” one in which either the rent plus supplies exceeds 30% of the median income of the households that live there, or that the price of housing has risen in the last five years by at least three percentage points above the CPI.
For Yoné Caraballo, island president of NC and deputy in the Parliament of the Canary Islands, “the situation in Lanzarote is alarming given that it is impossible to access a home for a person of average income with job stability.
It is no longer just that there is no housing for vulnerable families, which can be corrected with public protection housing, but that there is none or it is sky-high for families with stable and average salaries.”
The Canaristas consider that currently the families of Lanzarote maintain a "high rate of effort" which, added to the low existing per capita income, "makes it impossible for them to reach the end of the month in a comfortable and calm manner." “It is not reasonable for families to dedicate more than 30% of their income to paying rent and expenses derived from the home. It is an emergency situation that is not having the political prominence it deserves,” says Caraballo.
According to Nueva Canarias, there are mechanisms that local public administrations can establish immediately, such as aid for housing rehabilitation and accommodation; the provision of land for construction; fiscal measures to guarantee and promote the right to housing for young people; or regulate rental prices by declaring “tense zones” those places where public intervention is necessary; in addition to limiting vacation homes in tense residential areas.
Public services and care
The Canaristas will also continue to focus on one of their political banners, the improvement of health and mental health services, and care for the most vulnerable. Thus, the first island vice president of NC and councilor in the Cabildo de Lanzarote, Daisy Villalba, announces that “they will deploy more proposals in terms of care policies with the same vision as always, regarding public services to citizens and not the other way around.”
“There are deficits in care services that today remain unresolved. Dependency must take a transformative turn, directing care to homes,” comments Villalba, who also believes a “qualitative boost in the Third Sector is necessary, improving the working conditions of workers and adapting the agreements to the National Agreement.”
In terms of equality and the fight against gender violence, Daisy Villalba considers that “Lanzarote is lagging behind the rest of the islands and lacks human resources and strategic plans in prevention. This is clearly seen in the lack of promoters of equality, a professional figure that seeks to promote and educate society on issues related to equality between men and women, interpreting legal regulations and strategic plans.”
Regarding social accommodation resources, Villalba points out that “the lack of housing is collapsing these resources intended for the inclusion of the most vulnerable groups without housing alternatives.”
Sustainable Development
For his part, Marcos Lemes, second vice president of the party on the island and councilor in the Haría City Council, points to the challenge of the ecological and energy transition as a task that the society of Lanzarote cannot avoid. “The society of Lanzarote has a responsibility to fulfill in the transition to a new model of cleaner and more ecological society.
"We must contribute from our island condition and to the extent of our possibilities with policies that reduce energy dependence on fossil fuels, and initiate a path of transformation in habits that severely impact the environment such as mobility, waste, or unlimited growth,” says Lemes, who sees in the demographic challenge the “key” to improving and guaranteeing water and electricity services.
