Collboni withdraws support for The District real estate fair to save 27 million in subsidies

BarcelonaJaume Collboni overcame two defeats in the plenary session this Friday that threatened to underline the weakness of his government. With the votes of Barcelona en Comú and Esquerra, the mayor of the Catalan capital saved the day. in extremis a package of subsidies worth 26.8 million euros and has avoided failing the law for the insecurity in the neighborhoods of Sant Antoni and Raval. Two breaths of fresh air for a municipal government that, however, has also suffered some scratches.

From the outset, to save the subsidies, the municipal government had to withdraw the 250,000 euro aid planned for Next Business Exhibition, the entity that organizes the real estate fair The District. A last-minute slip of the ice to meet the demands of Barcelona en Comú with which the executive has managed to approve a package of 321 grants to various entities that for a while had been hanging by a thread.

This package of nominal subsidies no longer included a planned contribution of 2.5 million euros for the Circuit de Catalunya, like the one made following an agreement between the City Council and the Circuit last year. This aid, which the municipal government wants to repeat and which the Commons had also targeted, must be debated in a plenary session once a new agreement has been reached between the council and the Circuit.

Moments later, the same arithmetic served to avoid a second defeat for Collboni. This time, a rebuke against him that Junts per Barcelona had promoted due to the insecurity in the Raval and Sant Antoni neighborhoods. Republicans and Commons asked that there be no "alarmism" regarding security policies.

With the votes in his pocket, Collboni responded to Junts per Barcelona's attempt to rebuke him by boasting of a decrease in crime during the first quarter of the year. According to him, in the first quarter of the year, crimes in Barcelona fell from 44,691 to 41,124, an 8% decrease. Of these, 86% (35,512) are against property, 9% less than in the first quarter of last year.

Three failures in one month

However, the municipal government has been unable to prevent the censure of the first deputy mayor, Laia Bonet, for her handling of the labor dispute at the kennel. In this case, Junts and Barcelona en Comú have supported a PP proposal calling on the City Council to reinstate the dismissed workers from the Barcelona Pet Shelter (CAACB).

This is the third censure Bonet has suffered in the last month, as the opposition has also censured her on the Urban Planning Committee for her handling of the rehabilitation of the aluminosi buildings in Besòs and in the Gràcia district for her management of the urban planning in Vallcarca.

Distance from Juntos

The plenary session consolidated the dynamic that has been repeated throughout the term: that of a minority government struggling to get through some votes and always suffering some defeat. Almost halfway through its term, the PSC executive still lacks a stable majority and only has the support of ERC, which has decided to champion a "constructive opposition."

As for the Comuns (England), although they have saved them from disapproval and approved the subsidy package, the relationship between them and Collboni remains turbulent. Once again, Janet Sanz's party has accused the mayor of failing to implement progressive policies.

In the case of Junts (Junts), this Friday's plenary session revealed a scenario of estrangement that will soon be tested with two of the government's agenda items: the amendment to the 30% tax and the civic ordinance, which Collboni has explicitly asked them to help approve.