The approval of a budget amendment of almost 50 million euros was the focus of the first ordinary plenary session of the new municipal corporation on Tuesday. The councillor for Economy and Finance of the Mijas Town Hall, Roy Pérez (PSOE), was in charge of explaining this modification, which amounts to 49.2 million euros, and which will be financed through the Mijas Town Hall's treasury surplus. 

This money, said the councillor, will be used for general expenses, investments in public works and "items of a markedly social nature, such as the 2.9 million we have allocated to the social and labour insertion programme 'Renta Básica', which offers people who are having a hard time the opportunity to join the labour market. 

A further 525,000 euros are also earmarked for the social support project for people with functional diversity and another 733,000 euros for subsidies for social and health groups. In this regard, Pérez pointed out that "these groups carry out work that should be done by the public administrations, in this case the 'Junta de Andalucía' (Regional Government), which is the competent authority, and this council understands that it must help these groups because they are fundamental to improving the lives of our neighbours".

Likewise, approximately 800,000 euros are earmarked for subsidies for sports organisations and more than 300,000 euros for neighbourhood and cultural groups in the municipality, which also include the 'ampas' (Parent's Associations). Regarding the granting of these subsidies, the mayor of Mijas himself, Josele González (PSOE), clarified that "behind each subsidy there is a project presented by the group and that the relevant councillor studies, evaluates, reaches a consensus with them and, finally, gives approval. Then, obviously, every cent of public money is accounted for".

Investments in public works amount to 13 million euros, including improvements to different streets in the municipality and the execution of major projects such as the new section of the coastal path towards Fuengirola or the car park in the Los Santos neighbourhood, "which is so necessary for a neighbourhood that, has historically had a very limited parking area". 

This budget amendment, unanimously approved by the entire municipal corporation, also includes items for the start of work on the Grand Park, the purchase of beach equipment(200,000 euros), the improvement of water supply networks (250,000 euros), the Las Lagunas Clean Point (250,000 euros), the improvement of sports facilities (575,000 euros), youth activities (100,000 euros) and aid for public summer schools (30,000 euros), among other investments. 

Comments by PP and Vox

Despite having been voted unanimously, this item generated debate between the government team and the opposition groups. In his turn to speak, the deputy spokesperson for the PP in Mijas, Mario Bravo, pointed out that, instead of approving a new Budget for 2023, the government team continues to extend last year's Budget, also depleting, he said, the Mijas Town Hall's cash surplus. "With this modification and the one we approved a few months ago, we will spend 98 percent of the municipal savings", he said, stressing that this resource "is used for specific expenses, and some of them are, but others are not. It is something that does not seem serious to us, and it is not that we are against doing these things, but rather the way in which they are done".  

In this regard, the councillor for Finance explained to the opposition that the only way to access the surplus cash is through this type of modification and provided that the ordinary Budget has been previously liquidated. "We could have done it just before the municipal elections on the 28th of March, but we did not consider it appropriate to do it during an election period. We thought it was better to give the new government team the power to present this modification", he argued.

Following on from this, the spokesperson for Ciudadanos Mijas, José Carlos Martín, pointed out that "it is not a question of debating whether it is a budgetary modification or whether we are going to use the surplus. Here we want to vote on whether we agree to build a car park and the Coastal Path, to give social aid or to improve sport. That is what the citizens really expect from us". 

For his part, Vox Mijas deputy spokesperson, Juan Carlos Cuevas, said he was surprised by some economic items such as the 220,000 euros for the rental of awnings for shade or the 1.3 million euros in subsidies in kind for the asphalting of urbanisations. "As far as I remember, the urbanisations have been asking for improvements to our streets for 35 years", he said, while considering that "if this money had been set aside last year it would have been better because now the CPI is higher". 

In response, Pérez recalled that in the last six years of PSOE and Ciudadanos government, more than five million euros have been allocated to this area, "when the PP, during its five years in government, only invested 290,000 euros. I think the numbers speak for themselves", he concluded.

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