The Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing of the Government of the Canary Islands, directed by Sebastián Franquis, has indicated that it "has been acting since 2019 to launch the reform and rehabilitation of the homes in the Titerroy neighborhood, Arrecife, which are evicted due to their poor state of conservation."
"A commission that the Ministry assumes directly in the face of the permanent inability of the municipal government of the capital of Lanzarote to execute these works despite having an approved subsidy of 350,000 euros from the Canary Islands Housing Institute (ICAVI) for contracting the realization of the project, direction and execution of the repair works of the aforementioned houses." The municipal government, instead of seeking ways of understanding to speed up the solution for these residents, refuses to receive said subsidy by demanding new procedures from the regional Executive.
From the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing of the Government of the Canary Islands they affirm that "it has been involved since 2019 in a search for the serious problem that affects the old social houses, now in private hands, of Titerroy that drag an important deterioration in its construction before the passivity shown at all times by the government of the capital of the island".
"Despite the neglect shown by the municipal government presided over by the mayor Astrid Pérez in this matter, the councilor Sebastián Franquis committed himself at the beginning of 2020 in the Parliament of the Canary Islands to find a solution for the homes of Titerroy." "As a result of that commitment was the agreement reached by the councilor with the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda to extend until December 31, 2022 a subsidy granted years before by the State to the City Council to undertake the reform of these houses that on those dates (early 2020) had not yet begun by the Municipal Corporation", they add from the council.
Even so, the councilor recalls, "the current municipal government was not able to launch the reform of the Titerroy homes, which had an economic endowment of 2,142,292 euros." "In view of this neglect, adds Franquis, ICAVI reiterated to the City Council up to three times (03/31/2021, 05/18/2021 and 06/30/2021) via email and with the respective official letter, the request for the signature of the essential addendum to receive the subsidy and start the rehabilitation works." "In the absence of a response from that Corporation, continues explained the Housing councilor, the Ministry was informed of the impossibility of continuing with the regeneration plan due to the continuous breaches of the municipal government, so the ICAVI requested the central Government on October 15, 2021 the termination of said agreement."
Again, with "the firm intention of solving the serious problem that harms the residents of Titerroy", the councilor Franquis met with those affected in July 2021 and promised to carry out an appraisal of the most damaged houses and to pay for the reform of these. The aforementioned appraisal was completed in December 2021 and sent to the City Council, which was informed that they should do the work since, as the houses are in private hands, the regional Government does not have the power to execute this type of work.
From Housing they point out that in order to carry out the works, the ICAVI approved a subsidy for a value of 350,000 euros to the City Council that included the payment for the realization of the project, the direction of the work and the execution of the works. Despite everything, the councilor regrets, "the current municipal government of Arrecife has refused to have the money from this new aid deposited because it demands that the council deliver a works project."
"Once again the City Council fails to fulfill its commitment to assist the residents of Titerroy since the mayor Pérez expressed to the councilor Franquis that they were not going to contract the project despite having the money to do so, so the work could not begin." "Faced with this new gesture of neglect, and with the aim of assisting the residents of Titerroy as soon as possible, the Ministry assumes the commission of the project and thus communicates it to the municipal government," explains Franquis.
He also points out that "a despite this, the ICAVI has continued to reiterate (the last time on August 2) to the City Council to formalize the request to be able to deliver the subsidy of 350,000 euros and they have refused to do so." Finally it has been the Ministry that has contracted the reform project of those five homes for 15,940 euros.
"From all this review of the actions of some and others it is deduced that the City Council has never had the intention of solving the problem of the defective houses of Titerroy since in the last three years it has done absolutely nothing to achieve it and has also constantly ignored the solutions that the Canarian Government has proposed on repeated occasions to solve this serious inconvenience", criticize from the Ministry.
Finally, they affirm that "the will of this Ministry, despite not having direct competence in these homes, has always been to intercede with the City Council to try to solve the problem that these residents have given the inability that said institution has demonstrated for years in the management of the ARRU that were granted by the central Government."
