The Local Committee of Nueva Canarias-Bloque Canarista (NC-BC) in the municipality of Arrecife has shown its commitment to "seek real solutions" to the housing problem of the capital of Lanzarote, where it highlights that the situation "is out of control."
Thus, they demand the conservative government group, formed by the Partido Popular (PP) and Coalición Canaria (CC), to initiate the procedure to declare the stressed areas of the capital to, subsequently, submit a request to the Government of the Canary Islands, which is the one that must finally approve it.
Sheila Guillén, spokesperson for NC-BC in Arrecife, explains that “Lanzarote and especially Arrecife are experiencing a situation of lack of control in rental prices that, in certain cases, reach exceed 900 and 1,000 euros for 50 or 60 square meters”. This situation, continues the Canarian, “is aggravated by the fact that there is practically no available rental offer, which causes the market to regulate upwards.”
For the Canarians, the declaration of “stressed areas” provided for in the state housing law would partially curb the “lack of control” of rental prices that the islands are suffering, where this month of February they have increased again by 11%.
“The reality is heartbreaking for the entire island population, but especially for young people who want to become independent and plan a home. There are young people with stable jobs who live at their parents' house or share a house with two or three more people,” says Guillén, who also recalls the “high youth unemployment existing in the Canary Islands and Lanzarote that makes it impossible to plan a life project outside the family nucleus.”
With everything, from NC-BC they demand the government group of Arrecife to decisively face the “housing drama” that the capital suffers, seeking all the legal and political measures and possibilities within its reach.
“Currently there is no greater problem in Arrecife and Lanzarote than access to housing. Efforts should be directed to alleviate this situation, each one in its scope of action, but with determination. The Arrecife city council cannot be a passive subject that ignores its true responsibilities,” says Sheila Guillén.
