The PSOE of Lanzarote has announced a signature collection campaign to gather citizen support in order to demand that the president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, and the president of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, apply the Housing Law approved by the Government of Spain, which allows establishing caps on the price of rent in stressed areas. This measure would be key to alleviating the housing crisis that suffocates the families of the island.
The island secretary of the PSOE of Lanzarote and Deputy in Congress, María Dolores Corujo, has pointed out "the inaction of the president of the Cabildo, Oswaldo Betancort, who, refuses to apply maximum prices in the areas of greatest demand, despite the possibility offered by the Housing Law".
"Betancort has renounced a direct measure that would alleviate the suffocating housing crisis that Lanzarote is experiencing. He voted against this measure both in the Cabildo and in Parliament, and Coalición Canaria even tried to appeal the law out of time," Corujo announced.
Likewise, she recalled that the Housing Law establishes that tenants can subsidize their rents by up to 90% in the Personal Income Tax (IRPF) if they allocate their properties to housing in areas declared as stressed. However, "Betancort continues to refuse to allow Lanzarote to benefit from a regulation whose priority objective is to guarantee access to decent, adequate and affordable housing," Corujo added.
An alarming housing crisis
The PSOE has recalled the seriousness of the situation: Arrecife is "the municipality with the highest rental demand in Spain, due to the shortage of available housing, and is the second city with the highest increase in rental prices". In addition, from June 2023 to the present, vacation homes have increased by 77% in Lanzarote, according to the latest data.
"While families allocate up to 70% of their salary to rent, the president of the Cabildo remains impassive. We are facing a housing emergency that bleeds the economy of families, and we cannot allow Coalición Canaria and the PP to continue ignoring this reality," Corujo declared.
Signature collection throughout the island
To demand a clear response to this crisis, the PSOE of Lanzarote has decided to start a signature collection in different parts of the island. The objective is to gather the support of the citizens to demand that the Government of the Canary Islands, and in particular Fernando Clavijo, declare stressed areas and apply caps on rent. "Betancort has no excuses for not acting. As president of the Cabildo and parliamentarian, he must protect the most vulnerable families from the rise in prices," Corujo concluded.
