Provincial Council proposes to advance up to 75% of aid to municipalities before justification to speed up processing

Thursday 28th October 2021 – XÀBIA AL DÍA with Mike Smith

The Alicante Provincial Council has hosted the inaugural session of the Working Committee on Subsidies, which culminated in the commitment of all political groups to implement a strategic plan aimed at improving the management of aid and reducing the bureaucratic burden that falls to the municipalities. The provincial government team, made up of members of the Populares and Ciudadanos, has proposed to advance up to 75% of subsidies to town councils, even before the justification of the expense.

The provincial secretary Infrastructure, Javier Gutiérrez, who chairs this new body, explained that one of the main consensual initiatives is the provision of subsidies. “We are going to change the current model so that the allocations arrive even before the justification of the expense, that is, up to 75% of the aid will be given directly and with the greatest speed only with the justification of the plans and the other 25% at the end of each application process”. He added that “what [the government team] want is for the money to reach the municipalities as soon as possible“.

With this modification of procedures, it is guaranteed that the recipients of aid receive three-quarters before completing the execution of the projects, a proposal that has obtained the support of all the members of the commission. This advance largely solves the budget execution problem. According to the spokesperson for Ciudadanos: “we have shown that we are capable of drawing up plans, collecting requests and solving them with great agility, so now we have to be able to transmit funds to town councils more promptly“.

This commission is also made up of the provincial deputy for Roads, Alejandro Morant, (PP), the spokesperson for the socialists, Toni Francés, and that of Compromís, Gerard Fullana, as well as technicians from the areas of Water Cycle, Cooperatio , Culture, Economic Development, Environment and Roads.

During the meeting, it was also agreed to involve the municipalities in this process. In this sense, the objective is that town councils can transfer to the commission the different problems with which they are in the processing of the aid.

The process will begin this year by sending a document detailing the objectives set by the commission to all local entities and the ideas to be developed as a first step to invite them to contribute ideas and suggestions.

The commission will meet again next month to establish a work schedule that allows the Strategic Grant Plan to be approved next year.