The president once again recalled the pandemic to value the "outstanding" work by the Cabildo and the Consortium in terms of security, protection and prevention during the pandemic.
"Cooperation that extended to the State Security Forces and Corps, local security and emergency bodies, the Canarian Police, the municipalities of Lanzarote and the Government of the Canary Islands, as well as the Directorate of the Lanzarote Health Area and the NGOs that operate on the island. It is difficult to imagine how we could have overcome this critical moment without the transcendental role they played."
Corujo highlighted the reception device for the more than 100 people who live on the island without a roof and four walls to consider a home, and the presence of these groups in sensitive places such as senior centers, social services offices, public facilities, transport stops or health facilities to guarantee their disinfection. "Or the collaboration they maintained with the Military Emergency Unit and the Soria Infantry Brigade to disinfect ports and airports," he added.
The president also praised their role "in the logistical operation that allowed us to guarantee the reception and distribution of sanitary material and personal protection elements, distributing almost 150,000 units of masks, gels, gloves, thermometers and disposable protective suits, among others."
To this work "we must add the information and awareness campaigns for the population, and the creation of the Covid-19 Prevention Team, in which more than 50 public informers toured the points of greatest affluence to raise awareness about the main protection measures."
Finally, in collaboration with the Water Consortium and the Cabildo, "a novel wastewater analysis system was launched capable of alerting to the spread of the virus in advance."
"All this operation involved a cost of more than one and a half million euros covered entirely by this Cabildo, which is nothing compared to the dedication, the willingness and the vocation of public service of our people," he added.
In this sense, the president also highlighted the work carried out by Councilor Juan Manuel Sosa, from the Health area: "His advice was fundamental for the decisions we were adopting and his role was essential when we began to manage the return to normality, once the initial confinement phase was over."
The president highlighted "the work of dialogue and listening" carried out to be the first island to have the Covid Protocol, a document that allowed managing imported cases due to the incipient tourist recovery. "We also developed the specific Covid Protocol for Órzola and La Graciosa in collaboration with the Health Area of the Government of the Canary Islands, Canarian Ports, the shipping companies involved and the City Councils of Haría and Teguise."
"It was also from the Health area," Corujo recalled, "from where the contracting of the early warning service through wastewater analysis was promoted."
The president celebrated that all this work focused on saving lives has been recognized with the Alberto Guanche 2020 award, granted to the workers of the Security and Emergency Consortium; with the award from the Secretary of State for Tourism granted for the effectiveness in the disinfection of the Art, Culture and Tourism Centers of the Cabildo de Lanzarote and with the validation as a Safe Destination by the World Tourism Organization.
Corujo did not want to overlook the work carried out by Councilor Juan Manuel Sosa "with respect to the coordination with the Canarian Health Service and the follow-up so that what others were unable to do could be materialized, such as the radiotherapy bunker, with an investment of 2 million euros, the hemodynamics unit, with a cost of almost 600 thousand euros and the building destined for the treatment of emerging diseases, with a total budget of almost 16 million euros."
Open Government, Housing and Employment
"The drive of Councilor Jorge Peña has been felt in the area and has facilitated the launch of different initiatives and actions, such as the participation, transparency, planning and budget platforms aimed at facilitating the management of the First Island Institution to citizens. In addition, as a requirement for the use of Next Generation Funds, we are completing the implementation of the anonymous complaints platform."
"We have joined the Canarian Interadministrative Network of Open Government and, at the island level, we have launched the Island Table of Open Government," Corujo said. "In addition, the contests 'Get to know your Cabildo Participate!' and the Youth Parliament project have been launched."
Regarding Housing, despite not having powers, Corujo revealed that "the Cabildo cannot turn its back on a social problem that particularly affects Lanzarote, where it acquires a special difficulty due to the pressure of vacation homes and second homes of non-resident people. "In addition, we cannot abstain from the intolerable abandonment of previous governments in the Canary Islands, who turned their backs and ignored their responsibility with respect to the promotion of public housing."
"Thus, we are working to form a consortium with the city councils to join efforts and optimize resources. We are conducting a study for the acquisition of social housing worth 16.8 million euros, and finalizing the procedures with the Canarian Housing Institute for the transfer of land on Triana Street for the 2020-2025 plan," added the president.
Finally, the president pointed out that the Cabildo granted a subsidy to the city council of Tías for the implementation of a vacant housing rescue program that facilitates access to an unoccupied roof for people in vulnerable situations, "a program that we hope other municipalities will join."
With respect to the Employment Area, the president highlighted "the important effort" made to financially endow the employment plans and agreements concluded with local corporations. "Thus, Corujo pointed out, "we have allocated 1.8 million euros to the hiring of 181 people through an employment plan developed between February and August 2021 and to 79 more people through an agreement between the Cabildo and the Local Corporations executed during the same period. Another agreement with the city councils aimed at jobs of social interest has allowed us to hire 181 people between March and September of last year for an amount of 1.5 million euros."
"With the New Employment Opportunities plan, endowed with 1.68 million euros, 33 young graduates have been hired, who have acquired professional experience and reinforced the services of the Cabildo between December 2019 and November 2020. We are re-editing this program since October of last year with an endowment of 1,417,000 euros that have allowed the hiring of 1 coordinator, 3 tutors and 45 graduates," explained Corujo.
In addition, employability projects have been developed that have benefited 150 people for an amount of 700 thousand euros, and employment programs that have benefited 221 long-term unemployed people for 2.5 million euros. Likewise, two alternating training programs with employment have been taught that have allowed the training of 30 people and the hiring of 10 monitors with an investment of 676 thousand euros."
The president also recalled the program carried out with the University Foundation of Las Palmas, which allowed the hiring of 12 graduates with an economic contribution of 320,000 euros, and the training actions carried out with the University Foundation of Las Palmas that allowed the training of 100 graduates with an investment of 300 thousand euros.
Conclusions
"With my presentation I have tried to give a global vision of the island today. You will be able to set your positions more accurately, but if the management of this government can be legitimately questioned, there are a series of data that do not admit discussions about the recovery of the island after the pandemic, such as the increase in affiliates to the Social Security Regime and that of the self-employed, and the notable decrease in unemployment, which after this last month has been at figures comparable to those of 2008."
María Dolores Corujo concluded her first intervention in the Debate on the State of the Island "being fully aware that the merit of this recovery of the island is the merit of many people and the result of the success of measures such as direct aid and the ERTE implemented by the Government of Spain, but also of the enthusiasm, the unwavering effort and the unlimited confidence in the future of a Government group that had to redefine its priorities overnight to focus on protection against an unknown and unpredictable enemy, the accompaniment of the most vulnerable and the safeguarding of our productive fabric."
