The mayoress of Mijas, Ana Mata (PP), and the councillor for Economy, Finance and European Funds, Carolina España, underlined the "effort made by the Andalusian Government to invest" in municipalities such as Mijas, which, they stress, has almost doubled its population since the beginning of the 21st century, so that "its health and education infrastructures are not left behind". 

"The Andalusian Government is at the side of the local councils and we demonstrate this with deeds", España insisted in her first official act for 2024, for which she has chosen the municipality of Mijas, whose Town Hall is presided over by a woman for the first time. Moreover, the counsellor pointed out that it is "an example of vitality, a city that is growing at a fast pace and with a younger population than the Andalusian average. Never before has the Regional Government invested as much in Mijas as the Government of Juanma Moreno". 

Education

In this regard, España highlighted the "significant effort in educational investment" made by the 'Junta' in Mijas, where a new secondary school is being built in Las Lagunas, the first to be built in the town since 2008, and the expansion projects for the IES in La Cala de Mijas and the CEIP Jardín Botánico are being processed. "The population of Mijas has grown considerably in just a few years and its infrastructures had become insufficient", the counsellor pointed out. In terms of education, since 2019 the Regional Government has invested 21.5 million euros in Mijas, she recalled.

Health

In terms of health, she stated that "Mijas is a priority in the Andalusian Government's health agenda. A new base for the 061 emergency service has been built, the Las Lagunas Health Centre and the La Cala Clinic have been extended, and we are currently looking for a suitable location for a new health infrastructure that will include primary care, specialised consultations and emergency services".

"In short, we want to give Mijas back the affection, investment and resources that have not been given to it by governments of other political colours", said España.  

Cooperation between administrations

For her part, the mayoress of Mijas, Ana Mata (Pp), thanked the counsellor for her first institutional visit of the new year to Mijas, which, in her own words, "demonstrates the necessary collaboration and joint work between the different administrations to make Mijas a city of progress, well-being and economic development", while highlighting "the excellent disposition shown from the beginning by the Andalusian Regional Government to re-establish a relationship of fluid collaboration".

España's visit comes days after Mijas approved its annual budgets, budgets which, for the first time since 2018, have been approved before the end of the year.

Before meeting with the mayoress to discuss the projects on which the 'Junta' and the town council are working together, as well as signing the Town Hall's book of honour, España said: "We are a government that works every day to ensure that all town halls, regardless of their size, have the resources they need to provide quality services to their citizens".

Financing

In this regard, the counsellor referred to the Municipal Cooperation Plan of the 'Junta's' Budget for 2024, which reaches "the historic figure of 2,113 million euros", after five years of growth. "Since 2018, the Municipal Cooperation Plan has grown by over 85%, almost 1,000 million euros more", said España, who referred in particular to the PATRICA (Participation in the Taxes of the Autonomous Community), the unconditional funding received by local councils from the 'Junta de Andalucía'.

"Since 2019, the PATRICA has increased every year, except in 2022, when the opposition voted against the Budget and prevented it from being increased. Let's not forget that between 2012 and 2018, with the governments of PSOE and IU, the PATRICA remained frozen. In those 6 years the Junta allocated zero euros more to the municipalities. In the five years of Juanma Moreno's government, there are already 180 million more PATRICA accumulated than what the local councils received under the socialist governments. Juanma Moreno's government is the most municipalist Andalusian government in history. Never before have Andalusian municipalities received as much funding from the Junta de Andalucía as they do now".

In the case of the province of Málaga, the PATRICA has grown by 14.85% since 2018, above what has grown on average in Andalusia as a whole (10.42%). "In the particular case of Mijas, the increase in PATRICA since Juanma Moreno has been president of the Junta has been 24%. That is to say: in 2018 Mijas received 3.6 million from the PATRICA and in 2024 it will receive 4.5 million".     

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