Barcelona City Council finally has new budgets. The government of Mayor Jaume Collboni has just approved this Thursday his proposal for municipal accounts, without any fuss and making it known through a very discreet press release, through a matter of trust, taking advantage of the inability of the opposition councilors to agree and propose an alternative candidate for mayor.
We are talking about 3.8 billion euros, “the most expansive and social budget in history”, according to the municipal press release itself, “to respond to the main citizen concerns, housing, security and care of public space” . "The municipal investment capacity also grows to 777.6 million euros - the note continues - and will allow the execution of strategic actions such as the transformation of the Rambla, the coverage of the Ronda de Dalt, the reform of the Abacería Market, the plan of air conditioning of schools or the Pla de Barris”.
Furthermore, this budget grows by 5.9% compared to the previous year, "and this is especially noticeable in social investment, which reaches 438.7 million euros." The second most notable item is that allocated to the organization and care of public space, while security spending will total 396 million, which will mean an increase of 125 Urban Police officers.
Mayor Collboni's government also emphasizes that Barcelona City Council will have the greatest investment capacity in all of Spain. "This budget significantly increases the investment capacity that the City Council will have, which will reach 777.6 million and grows to 944 million if the actions that will be carried out through municipal companies and entities are also added." The expansion of the public housing stock will have 153 million. The debt planned for 2024 remains stable, the City Council also assures, and is below 35% of current income. “This budget guarantees the principles of solvency and balance and compliance with fiscal rules.”
The fact is that the path to approval of these accounts was especially convoluted. The truth is that political conversations around Barcelona's budgets have rarely invited people to eat so much popcorn. The matter was in a drawer, the first attempt at negotiations between the government and the rest of the municipal groups was nothing more than a false step, the extension of the previous year's accounts seemed the most plausible path.
Then, in mid-February, Mayor Collboni showed off his taste for scenography and called the media to a super press conference in the stately Saló de Cent in which he dressed in very institutional airs to make an announcement. of a profound political nature, to invite opposition groups to join their proposed accounts.
But deep down the mayor's message was very different. Because he actually made it clear that if the opposition did not agree to join his accounts he would have no problem submitting to a question of confidence. Step by step, he said over and over again in that appearance. Because Collboni calculated the times, and also the steps, and concluded that the rest of the councilors, despite his insistence on highlighting the weakness of his government supported by just ten councilors, could never agree on an alternative candidacy for his mayoralty.
So it was. Both Xavier Trias and Ada Colau tried to link the negotiation of the accounts to their entry into the municipal government. But Collboni moved the carrot until they were dizzy, until Trias himself said that he was tired of so much talk, that it is one thing to talk and quite another to negotiate, that negotiating is something else. And Colau also exhausted her patience, she also got fed up. Some of his people even went so far as to say on social media that the problem is that Collboni is a misogynist.
Meanwhile, the socialist gained the support of the ERC group, much more open to negotiation with the PSC government after the departure of its leader Ernest Maragall. The support of the Republicans was always insufficient to approve these budgets through a conventional means, but it allows Collboni to show himself as an open leader. The next episode of this story will take place after the elections on the 12th. Then we will see if ERC finally enters the municipal government.
