It has been two years since the change of government in the Cabildo of Lanzarote. At that time, I committed myself to restoring dignity to this institution, which had been humiliated long and repeatedly by the previous president.
We set out to recover the previous ten years lost both in budget execution and territorial planning, as well as in the creation of basic infrastructure, social services and the care of those most in need.
We started by restoring and normalizing relations with the town councils, without making distinctions about political colors, and we created stable coordination mechanisms, such as the Mayors' Table, which, among other things, has allowed us to address together and effectively the most difficult moments of the pandemic.
We did the same from the first moment with the economic, social and cultural agents, re-establishing channels of communication and coordination based on the respect and trust that had been broken.
Immediately, we put an end to the harassment and hunting against some workers of this institution, guided by professionalism, trying to recover the motivation of the staff, and recovering social peace in the staff of the Tourist Centers.
However, little is known and little has been said about the Cabildo that we found from the inside. While years ago it was presumed good management exposed to bases of recurrent and unbearable PowerPoint sessions, the reality is that we inherited a disorganized, disordered and without future projects Cabildo; a public administration anchored in the twentieth century with internal procedures inappropriate for an island government.
And when we were processing the approval of our first General Budgets, the global pandemic caused by the coronavirus broke out. The whole world stopped and we were all in shock.
So, in March 2020, we parked our island project, drew up a new emergency roadmap and concentrated all our forces and resources on combating the economic and social crisis caused by COVID-19.
Luckily we have had the coverage of the ERTE, with a large public assistance network and a good public health system, because, otherwise, we would have had a much worse time. This is one of the lessons we must draw: the pandemic has refreshed the raison d'être of the Welfare State and why it is worth fighting for the public.
In view of the events, we reoriented our first Budgets, those of 2020, to incorporate many measures aimed at social emergency, to prevent anyone, any person and any family, from being unattended as a result of the tourist closure and the practical paralysis of our economy.
The 2021 Budgets, which we initially approved last January, put the emphasis again on social policies and aid to people who have been having the worst time, although we also contemplate direct aid to companies and the self-employed, although I must admit that we have been delayed and I sincerely apologize for it.
However, the Cabildo will have almost 250 million euros, expandable depending on the remnants, to face the brutal economic recession caused by the coronavirus. We are going to manage those funds with sensitivity and responsibility to help get the island out of this situation, let no one doubt it.
Our biggest concern since the pandemic broke out has been to attend to the people affected by the economic and social crisis, and to protect the productive fabric. But, at the same time, as the months have passed, we have been creating the bases for Lanzarote to be a connected, intelligent, sustainable and safe tourist destination when travel reopens and tourism recovers its activity.
The first thing now is the recovery and reactivation of the economy. Now it is time for tourists to travel again to recover economic activity and employment, thus alleviating the suffering of companies, workers and families. Also now begins our mandate, which has been temporarily postponed by the pandemic.
The end of the mandatory use of masks in public spaces is a good omen. If the vaccination plan continues to progress as it has so far, I think that this summer will notice the reopening of tourism and face the future with guarantees. So I ask you for confidence, because it is from now on when the Cabildo of Lanzarote really starts.
*María Dolores Corujo Berriel, president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote
