Almeria’s provincial council president praises the results obtained by intermediate authorities’

JAVIER AURELIANO GARCIA, president of the Diputacion provincial council, wants more resources for the authorities midway between local and regional governments.

He was speaking during the last meeting of the Committee of Provincial Councils, Councils and Cabildos, of which Garcia is vice-president.

The conference was held in La Palma (Canary Islands) and Garcia pledged Almeria province’s support for the population of the island, which was devastated by a volcanic eruption lasting for 85 days between September and December 2021.

The Diputacion president applauded Mariano Hernandez, who heads La Palma’s cabildo – equal to a local authority – for the “excellent” way the island had coped with the catastrophe.  “This was a example of co-governance that should be followed nationwide,” he said.

Garcia stressed that the Committee’s purpose was to demonstrate the strength of municipalism and its support for La Palma, while tackling issues that would improve quality of life for the inhabitants of provinces and areas covered by  cabildos.

“Sixteen per cent of every Diputacion’s budget – around €1.8 billion in all – is earmarked for Social Services, even though this is not within our remit,” Garcia said.

“Without these intermediate governments, basic services would not reach people or help those who most need it,” he pointed out. “The Committee is going to address the issue of the EU’s Next Generation funds so that we can manage them ourselves and analyse the possibility of collaborating with the rest of Spain.

“We need to speed up the process so that the cash arrives sooner, via the autonomous regions.”

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