Changes in Collboni's administration: housing reforms and a new deputy mayor

BarcelonaChanges in Jaume Collboni's government. The mayor of Barcelona signed a decree this Tuesday to shake up the government's portfolio with the aim of giving the municipal government a boost for the second half of his term. Among the most notable changes is the creation of a fifth deputy mayor, who will be headed by Raquel Gil. The mayor will retain the Social Action responsibilities, which until now were held by Maria Eugenia Gay, who, as explained the NOW, loses influence in the council.

Housing responsibilities also change hands, one of the council's most sensitive areas and one of Collboni's priorities this term. The area, which until now depended on the first deputy mayor, Laia Bonet, is now being transferred to the fourth, headed by Jordi Valls. In return, Valls is releasing Economic Promotion—which will be transferred to the new deputy mayor, Raquel Gil—and Bonet is assuming full management of the Barris Plan, which until now had been directly under the mayor's office.

The new distribution of responsibilities leaves Valls as a prominent figure in this second part of the term. Not only will the budgets and tax ordinances for the next two years pass through her office, but two of the city's most sensitive areas will also be addressed: tourism and housing management. A folder, the latter, that comes with a hot potato already on the table: the negotiation with the groups for a reform of the 30% reserve for social housing that Collboni initially requested to be approved before the summer.

The one who, on the other hand, comes off worse from this reform is Maria Eugènia Gay. Despite being one of the notable signings on Collboni's list in 2023 – she was number 2 – the former Spanish government delegate in Catalonia has not connected with the social sector and has shifted much of the responsibility onto the Commissioner for Social Action, Sonia Fuertes, who will now report to Raquel Gil's. However, Gay will retain the second deputy mayorship, which will include the Presidency, International Relations, Health, Participation and Democratic Innovation, and Education.

No changes in the districts

As ARA reported, the government restructuring also includes the creation of new commissioners. Up to three. For now, the mayor has already appointed a new commissioner for economic promotion. It will be Nadia Quevedo, who previously worked at City Hall between 2009 and 2011 as chief of staff to the first deputy mayor.

In the coming days, the mayor also plans to appoint a commissioner for Language Policy—who will report directly to the mayor's office—and a commissioner for Rehabilitation, who will report to the fourth deputy mayor. Finally, Collboni has made no changes to the district leadership, which will remain as before.

In a statement, the municipal government defended the changes to the portfolio as an attempt to "give new impetus to social and economic promotion policies" and provide them with "a more transversal perspective" to "reduce inequalities in a city with greater prosperity and more opportunities for all."

The changes come after Collboni confirmed on Sunday in a meeting with the leader of ERC at City Hall, Elisenda Alamany, that the option of the Republicans entering the government was definitively buried, although they remain the executive's preferred partners. In this way, Collboni is on track to complete the entire term alone despite having the government with the fewest councilors in Barcelona's history, with only 10.

From the opposition, Junts and Barcelona en Comú have been quick to interpret Collboni's changes as a sign of weakness. The leader of the councilors at City Hall, Jordi Martí Galbis, has argued that the changes to the portfolio "expose the failure" of the municipal government. "A lost mandate," he summed up. From the Commons, Janet Sanz interpreted the changes as a new rebuke of Laia Bonet, this time from Collboni, "for her poor management" of housing. From the ERC, on the other hand, deputy spokesperson Jordi Coronas emphasized the new commissioners for Rehabilitation and Language Policy, two demands of the Republicans during their term.