Damià Calvet, Janet Sanz and Jordi Coronas starred in a curious scene this Thursday. The representatives of the Junts, BComú and ERC groups declared that the government of Mayor Jaume Collboni is ignoring the Besòs neighborhoods, that its neglect is destroying the work of recent years, and that it must urgently reactivate the urban regeneration plan on this side of Barcelona…
We are talking about an initiative approved in 2020 in order to improve the housing stock in neighborhoods where those negligence in construction so typical of the middle of the last century still mark people’s daily lives. Here the shorings still constitute an everyday image.
And the main opposition groups denounce that if the socialist executive does not react, the City Council will lose some 51 million euros of Next Generation European funds granted to rehabilitate 1,300 homes before 2026. Most of it, in Besòs-Maresme, Trinitat Vella, Canyelles , La Pau, Can Peguera and the Gardens of Massana. Even the artistic mural program to strengthen neighborhood pride is also in question.
So Junts, BComú and ERC will force the holding of an extraordinary commission before the end of the year in order to redirect the situation. Calvet pointed out that the plan foresees “a pilot test that would have to be underway.” Sanz pointed out that the Colau government has already rehabilitated one building, that the City Council has to renovate another ten, that this should only be the beginning… And Coronas concluded the situation does not allow for further delays.
The municipal government responded that Besòs is one of its great priorities, that they are giving continuity to the actions of the previous mandate, that everything is going according to plan. “The remaining nine buildings in the pilot will be rehabilitated this mandate. Two are in tender, another two are pending obtaining a license and the rest already have executive projects. The Secretariat of Compromís Besòs Maresme, made up of councilors from all groups, met on November 20. Those from these groups delegated to advisors, a weak implication that contrasts with their latest statements.”
The opposition thus continues to redouble its pressure on the Collboni government. A progressive and moderate drumbeat that does not lead to a definitive break. They have hinted at this several times lately. What it is about is that the socialists agree to share the government. At least when it comes to Junts and BComú, completely determined to influence the City Council’s action. The Republicans, for their part, are more in favor of acting as tough and tough opposition. At least for now. Next week its leader Ernest Maragall says goodbye to politics.
