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Eugenio Cabezas
Torrox
Wednesday, 17 January 2024, 21:23
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Torrox town hall has received 31,573,384 euros extra in this year’s budget having exceeded the 20,000 inhabitants quota, meaning that it is now considered a large town. It is an increase of 18 per cent compared to 2023. The announcement was made by mayor Óscar Medina on Tuesday 17 January.
Medina said that the money is “intended to meet the challenges of the successful growth of our town”. He went on to say that the town’s population has grown by almost 40 per cent since he was first elected as mayor in June 2015 and that "a new era begins for the town, in constant transition and sustainable growth".
The mayor said that the main challenge for the town hall will be the management of social services, for which it now assumes responsibility as part of the deal. Medina said that "during this year there will be a transition period in which Malaga's provincial authority will continue to collaborate and agreements will be signed with the Andalusian regional government".
The town hall will acquire specialised staff including six social workers, two psychologists and two social educators "to strengthen an area that has an important challenge to take on," he said. There will also be an increase in staff in other departments “to ensure that the quality of public services is maintained”. A further twenty posts will be created to reinforce different areas including four new Local Police officers.
"A budget has been drawn up with the aim of providing a service to the citizens of Torrox which tries to reflect a modern and contemporary town without losing our essence and customs and with a view to the future," said Medina.
Within the additional funds, which have come from the Junta de Andalucía, over 1.2 million euros have been allocated for educational and leisure projects for children and young people. Further funding has been set aside for administration and local tourism promotion and visitor information. There is also money in the budget to create a culture and festivals council as well as support for women’s associations.
The budget has been criticised by the left-wing opposition Izquierda Unida’s spokesperson Rafael Broncano, who said that his party was still waiting for the documentation on the new budget to be made available to the opposition groups so that they can analyse it in depth. He questioned the figures provided by Medina’s Partido Popular and said, "What is absolutely true is that Mr. Medina has the largest budgets that this town hall has ever had and most of it comes from the taxes paid by the citizens of Torrox."
He went on to say, "However, his policy of waste and mismanagement does not translate into important investment projects that are noticeable in our town. Previous leaders have made much greater investment efforts with much less money, having also had to face economic crises and greater debts.”
Izquierda Unida has announced that it "will thoroughly audit the budget document as soon as it is provided” and will “carry out an in-depth analysis of it in order to make the criticisms, challenges and contributions it considers appropriate".
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