PSOE Tenerife Criticizes Cabildo’s Quiet Pact with Vox over 2025 Budget Approval
The Tenerife Cabildo has provisionally ratified the 2025 budget this Thursday, with support from CC, PP, and Vox, while the PSOE opposed it, failing to pass its amendment in full and none of the 103 partial amendments. Furthermore, the socialists expressed their “disappointment” with the president of the island council, Rosa Dávila, who, through the group’s general secretary, Pedro Martín, lamented that “in the most crucial plenary session of the Island, the president did not even speak or discuss the issues that concern the residents of Tenerife as a whole, such as queues, housing difficulties, or transport and mobility.”
The budget, “the largest in history”, amounts to a staggering 1,127 million euros, reflecting an 8% increase compared to the previous year. According to the Cabildo, these public finances are “intended for the transformation of Tenerife”, with an investment of 326 million euros, which is 10%, equal to social expenditure, which totals 368 million euros, representing a 33% rise.
The island’s vice president, Lope Afonso, advocated for the economic plan, deeming it ambitious “responding precisely to the aspiration that this island has to transform the territory of the economy and the productive structure in general into a more sustainable model, creating opportunities and enhancing social cohesion.”
However, Pedro Martín also pointed out the low execution rates of last year’s budget across numerous areas under Rosa Dávila’s leadership and the cuts in essential sectors for Tenerife, like investments, “which will see a reduction next year compared to the current year,” he pointed out. Notably, the projects addressing the so-called “water emergency” are marked by this low execution, to which “barely any new measures have been initiated.”
Regarding roadworks, “the surplus in the budget of the Government of the Canary Islands for Tenerife is already at 60 million euros and could exceed 80 million by year-end,” the PSOE criticises.
“We will continue to work from the opposition, proposing alternatives. We are proactive, but we will not cease to remind them that it is insufficient to merely announce projects; they must be implemented,” asserted the president of the Socialist Group.
Conversely, the general secretary of the PSOE on the island condemned the current governing body for not consulting the councils regarding the budgets, instead only engaging with the municipalities after the period for submitting objections concerning the governmental project’s proposals had concluded. “Without the municipalities and the regions, there can be no balanced project for the island,” he added.
The socialists recall that Rosa Dávila has not fulfilled her promise to eliminate the queues within 90 days, nor has she even made efforts to reduce them, indicating signs of stagnation for the coming year, as evidenced by budgets that have minimal growth of merely 1.2%. This occurs under a president and vice president who offer contradictory statements about the fiscal figures.
The PSOE clarifies that the budget allocated for housing by the island government constitutes 0.97% of the overall budget (10.3 million euros compared to the total of 1,057.40 million euros). Through budget modifications suggested by the PSOE, over 50.7 million euros would be mobilised for housing, nearly 5% of the corporation’s financial plan.
By sectors and areas within the island council, the budgets for 2025 would be distributed as follows:
The Mobility sector will receive 234 million euros.
of which a total of 138 million euros will be overseen by Mobility and 97 million will be allocated to the Roads sector, emphasising free public transport; the enhancement of TITSA’s bus fleet, with an increase in routes and new shuttle services; the expansion of Transportation on Demand to three additional regions; the initiation of a maintenance and conservation service for stops and the resolution of the Tren del Norte ideas competition.
In the domain of Highways, the contract for the BUS-VAO Rails is particularly notable; (Lane TF-5 HUC-Las Chumberas and ITS Lane Santa Cruz-La Laguna); the finalisation of direct access roads to El Médano and the Güimar Industrial Estate; the deployment of an intelligent traffic management system on the TF-5 and the execution of 30 road rehabilitation initiatives, including resurfacing of the TF-1 and ten enhancement and landscaping schemes across the road network.
The realm of Social Action accounts for 368 million euros, which constitutes 33% of the overall budget, representing an increase of 10% compared to the year prior and 18% more than in 2023. Initiatives will centre on the establishment of the Island Program for Comprehensive Care for Seniors, Islénior: the care you deserve; the promotion of policies against gender violence with a comprehensive expansion of the island network; strengthening collaboration with third-sector organisations for specialised care of individuals; Universal accessibility: fostering an inclusive Island.
Likewise, 30 million euros are designated for the area of Housing and Municipal Cooperation, which marks an increase of over 104% in comparison to 2023 with the construction of public housing: over 13 million euros slated for 2025; a cooperation agreement regarding the Housing Plan and more than 10 million euros allocated to cooperative initiatives with local councils.
Regarding Employment, Education and Youth, a 27% increase is anticipated, amounting to a total of 39 million euros dedicated to enhance employability and job placement opportunities to invigorate the labour market; the reinforcement of scholarship and educational support policies; the promotion of Canarian content in educational and artisan fields; the prevention and enhancement of mental health and education regarding healthy habits and behaviours; and the endorsement of the II Plan for Youth Houses of Tenerife, with provisions for renovation and enhancement.
In the sector of Natural Environment, an allocation of 84 million euros is designated for this area, reflecting a 37% increase from 2023. This investment will focus on the recovery and reforestation of Tenerife’s mountains; funding for the rural parks of Anaga and Teno; environmental education initiatives, safeguarding medians, and fire prevention strategies; promotion of environmental volunteerism; a commitment to the energy transition through the Energy Transition Office; and the comprehensive management development for El Teide National Park, bolstering surveillance, investment, and the necessary protection.
To “ensure water” amid the water emergency facing the island, the Cabildo invests 26.4 million euros in water management, aiming to develop the urban water supply corridor in both the North and South of Tenerife; enhancement of purification and desalination capabilities for irrigation; expansion of the Buenos Aires wastewater treatment plant to accommodate up to 30,000m³/day and comprehensive efforts in combating drought.
In the area of Waste, 61 million euros are earmarked, representing a 34% increase from 2023. This funding will support investments in new waste treatment infrastructures utilising clean energy; the commencement of a new organic waste biostabilisation facility; construction of eight new recycling points along with improvements to existing ones; and investments in R&D projects linked to waste recovery and valorisation.
In terms of Security and Emergencies, the budget includes 10 million euros, a 15% increment compared to 2023, which will facilitate the acquisition of equipment for BRIFOR; civil protection and volunteer fire brigades; the drafting of plans for a new fire station in Guía de Isora; as well as integrating interdisciplinary areas and specialists into emergency management through CECOPIN.
In the field of Primary Sector and Animal Welfare, this sector sees a remarkable increase of over 20 million euros toward irrigation modernisation. A total of 38.5 million euros is allocated. Key focal points include guaranteeing access to irrigation water, both in quantity and quality, for Tenerife’s agricultural sector; encouraging generational transitions; promoting local products and investing in R&D&I projects; expanding the island’s network of farmers’ markets; and the establishment of a network of animal shelters across the island.
With regards to Equality, the Cabildo of Tenerife demonstrates a strong commitment to equality policies and the prevention of gender violence, with the financial allocation increasing by 16% compared to 2023. Key initiatives include the I Symposium on the prevention of violence among youth; awareness campaigns for International Women’s Day; promotional activities during LGTBIQA+ Pride Month; and a funding line for diversity projects targeted at Town Councils serving fewer than 30,000 residents.
For Tourism and Foreign Action, the island’s government anticipates an increase of 28%, translating to 46 million euros that will…
There will be investments in the sustainable revitalisation of degraded public areas, improving the image of Tenerife through sports tourism, cultural tourism, and gastronomy tourism. Additionally, there will be efforts to attract investment for the island’s economic diversification, particularly through the Ibero-American Mipyme Forum.
In Industry and Commerce, initiatives will focus on establishing a conservation body for the Güímar Industrial Estate, implementing actions within Industrial Estates and zones; rejuvenating the industrial sector, refreshing its image, and launching new projects; enhancing the infrastructure of the Fairgrounds; improving funding options to support Tenerife’s trade; strengthening the management network of Open Commercial Zones and invigorating the commercial landscape of Tenerife’s productive sectors.
In the realm of Culture, a total of 50 million euros has been allocated, with 7 million euros designated for the Cultural Infrastructure Plan, over 2 million euros for developing the arts district; backing the audiovisual sector and music industries; and enhancing accessibility and diversity within culture.
The budget for Sports includes an investment of 12 million euros for sports infrastructure; a commitment to promote physical activity in schools for the younger generation; and increased financial support for athletes, clubs, and federations, with an additional boost of over 2 million euros for youth teams.
In terms of Innovation, Research, and Development, this field is set to grow by 16%, with plans to initiate the expansion of the Institute of Technologies for Biomedicine alongside ULL and promote the establishment of biomedical spin-offs. There will be support for PhD students in critical research areas, deepening the development of satellite technology and its use for public services and research. This includes the establishment of satellite manufacturing companies and a teleoperation port. Furthermore, a half a dozen satellites will be launched to aid in preventing wildfires and disasters.
For the domain of Administration, Territorial Planning, and Historical Heritage, the budget stands at 22 million euros, reflecting a 70% increase from 2023. This funding encompasses initiatives such as restoration and adaptation projects surrounding the Plaza de la Basílica de Candelaria; commencement of works at Santa Catalina Park in La Gallega; renovations of Casa Lola in Guía de Isora and Casa Soler in Vilaflor; conditioning the Mirador de La Centinela in San Miguel; strengthening funding for the rehabilitation and preservation of assets with heritage significance; new subsidy avenues for BIC environment projects; the launch of the Island Catalogue of Landscape Enclaves; and the new Tenerife Landscape Cooperation Programme.
