NC deputy, Yoné Caraballo, has expressed his "deep concern" regarding the new General Budgets of the Canary Islands for 2026, stating that "Lanzarote is once again in fifth place in terms of increased investment by island with 29.18%, lagging behind territories with smaller populations and higher levels of public service coverage such as El Hierro (156.9% increase); Fuerteventura (50.38% increase); La Palma (40.10% increase); or La Gomera (38.22% increase)."
"Lanzarote is once again relegated in the priorities of the Government of the Canary Islands. There is no real commitment to improving the quality of life of our people or to guaranteeing decent public services," Caraballo lamented.
The deputy denounced that the budgets do not include items for new healthcare infrastructure, one of the main demands of citizens and professionals in the sector. "The remodeling of the Insular Hospital is not reflected, an essential work to modernize facilities that have been obsolete and saturated for years, and which has created controversy when the Canary Islands Government itself announced that users would have to be transferred to the annex of the Dr. Molina Orosa Hospital," he stated.
Likewise, the projects for the Argana Alta and Playa Honda Health Centers are once again left with nothing, without a budget allocation to allow progress in their construction, nor in the planning of the 24-hour Continuous Care Point at the Mala Health Center, a key infrastructure to improve healthcare in the north of the island; in addition to leaving the island without a medical helicopter once again
Caraballo also criticized the minimal investment allocated to housing policies, with a cut of 13 million compared to the previous year, going from 18,474,551 million to 5,508,800 million, in a context in which Lanzarote suffers one of the biggest problems of access to housing in the Canary Islands. "While families see how rental and purchase prices skyrocket, the Government does not put resources on the table to promote public or affordable housing," he stressed.
Finally, the deputy described the sustainability policy in the regional accounts as "non-existent." "On an island especially vulnerable to climate change and tourism pressure, the Canary Islands Executive still fails to understand that investing in sustainability is investing in the future," he concluded.
"These budgets forget Lanzarote. These are accounts that do not respond to the real needs of the island or the demands of its population," Caraballo stated, announcing that he will present amendments to correct the deficiencies and demand fair treatment for Lanzarote.