The Lanzarote Popular Party this Saturday has put on the table the serious housing problems that exist on the island and throughout the archipelago, mainly due to the "passivity and neglect" that in this matter have been demonstrated for decades "the nationalists in the Government of the Canary Islands and the socialists in Madrid".
The island president of the Popular Party, Astrid Pérez, has stated that it is "a priority and number one objective" to adopt "measures to reverse the housing precariousness in which many Lanzarote and Canary Islanders find themselves due to the unfortunate housing policy of the Regional Executive, which has not been able to execute a single housing plan in the last ten years."
"In the Popular Party we are very aware of the reality we live in the Canary Islands where there are about 30,000 families demanding a home", says Pérez, who highlights that the Rajoy government had already approved the state housing plan 2018-2021 that increased the economic endowment by almost 63% to reach 1,443 million euros during the four years.
Now, the objective of the Popular Party with the government that Pablo Casado forms after the elections on April 28 is to continue reinforcing policies in this area with measures that also aim to "make renting more flexible and favorable, giving greater coverage and incentives to landlords in order to promote the incorporation of homes for rent into the market."
"It is evident that the more obstacles we put in the way of owners, the more reluctant they will be to make their properties available to society. We must not forget that the savings of many families have materialized in the acquisition of real estate as a way to guarantee a dignified retirement. It is in the hands of the public authorities to establish a fair and equitable system that guarantees the balance between both parties", said Ástrid Pérez.
Likewise, in their appearance before the media, they highlighted Casado's commitment to promoting an aspect as important as the rehabilitation of residential buildings in urban areas, which directly affects cities like Arrecife.
This was highlighted by the candidate for the Senate for Lanzarote and La Graciosa, Joel Delgado, when assuring that the urban renewal projects of the houses of Valterra and Titerroy are "the number one priority as it is a matter of social justice." "We are not going to allow entire families to live in houses full of cracks, propped up and with the constant fear of a possible collapse", said Delgado.
"It is intolerable and totally shameful that after we obtained state funding from the Popular Party, and the government transferred almost two million euros, the socialists and nationalists in the City Council have dedicated themselves to torpedoing the project without even requesting an extension of execution", denounces the candidate for re-election to the Upper House. "Once again, it will be the Popular Party that takes the projects out of the drawers and stands up for the more than one hundred affected families."
For the candidate of the Popular Party to the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Jacobo Medina, "it is essential that there is harmony between the different administrations", regardless of their direct competences on the matter, "because after all we are the town councils and the cabildos, each one within the framework of their obligations, the corporations closest to the citizen and those that have to deal with and alleviate the emergency and helplessness situations in which the families find themselves who have been evicted for non-payment or who, simply and unfortunately, cannot find a home in which to live and those that exist are at exorbitant prices."
In this context, Medina positively values the proposal of the Popular Party to increase the tax deduction for landlords for income derived from the rent of homes that serve as habitual residence, especially when the tenants are young people or over 65 years of age with low incomes, which will positively result in more homes being available.