In parallel to the approval of the new Housing Law in the Congress of Deputies, the Plenary of the Valencia City Council held a last session with an eye on the 28M elections and the different groups taking stock of these four (eight years) left-wing governments. With housing becoming one of the mainstays of the pre-campaign -due to the high prices and the problems of accessing real estate both for rent and purchase-, the PP brought out that, during the two legislatures, the Government of CompromÃs and PSPV “had only been able to build 14 public houses, when the youth of the city cannot emancipate themselves.” A figure that the socialists admitted, with many nuances.
The popular spokesperson and candidate for Mayor, MarÃa José Catalá, took advantage of these figures to, along with the “EMT black hole” and doubts about the Cabanyal Plan, talk about an end of the cycle. Although it is true that the polls show better electoral prospects for Catalá than for Carlos Mazón, the truth is that equality is maximum and the recount in this key city (local votes are counted before regional ones) can give a good idea of ​​what What will happen in the Valencian Community as a whole, because without Valencia the PP will not conquer the Generalitat Valenciana.
Despite the fact that Catalá sees herself as mayor, the figure of Joan Ribó seems solid and the Socialists aspire to that “friendly relief” with a third left-wing government led by the fist and the rose.
With housing at the forefront of the political battle (it is a bet by Pedro Sánchez that his partners in Unidas Podemos like), the PP’s complaint blushes at the consistory. Now that the opposition is very careful not to criticize issues such as bike lanes or pedestrianizations -they introduce small reproaches more in form than substance-, the lack of housing construction is seen as one of the issues to be improved by the left. The socialist candidate, Sandra Gómez, admitted this in the interview in La Vanguardia, who shared criticism among her partners, but also CompromÃs who pointed out that it would be more effective to join the Department of Housing with the public company Aumsa.
Also, after the criticism of the PP, the Town Planning Councilor, Sandra Gómez, wanted to confront the housing policy of the current government team with that of the PP, “with which Valencia lost 20,000 homes in the public park.” Gómez indicated that “it went from 37,000 homes in 1995 to 15,000 in 2015”. In addition, he pointed out that aid was awarded to more than 60,000 families, which never collected and 60 million euros of Formula 1 debt were derived from the Valencian Entity of Housing and Land.
In terms of housing, the Plenary approved a motion in plenary this Thursday that seeks to further restrict the possibility of opening new tourist apartments in the Ciutat Vella neighborhood with the government team voting in favor and the opposition abstaining. Gómez, the promoter of the text, argued that through the approval of this motion “the entire city can be declared a saturated zone in order to regulate the rental price and to be able to guarantee housing not as a market good, but as an essential right” .
It was not the only issue that was debated in plenary. The parties that make up the municipal government, with the abstention of the opposition, approved the public exhibition of the modification of the Plan of Strategic Territorial Action (ATE) of Valencia CF.
The ratified document contemplates that the City Council will grant this sports entity licenses to dispose of the tertiary use of the Mestalla and the future stadium “when it complies with the obligations and commitments signed with the public.” Among these responsibilities is the construction of a sports center in Benicalap.
