The Sant Cugat del Vallés City Council tightens access to the census register

Sant Cugat del VallésThe Sant Cugat del Vallès City Council will tighten registration procedures, requiring in-person registration and implementing more administrative controls and police inspections. The municipal government approved a new directive which, as explained this Tuesday by the town's mayor, Josep Maria Vallès, and deputy mayor, Jordi Puigneró, aims to ensure the census "reflects the reality" of the municipality and prevents "fraud." From now on, applicants for registration over the age of 16 will have to complete the process in person, and third-party authorization documents will no longer be valid. This does not mean that digital procedures will be eliminated, but in these cases, registration will not be immediate, as it is necessary to verify residency. In a press conference, Puigneró insisted that with the new instruction—endorsed by the legal services—the city council is "complying with the state law" that regulates the municipal register, and assured that "people who live in the municipality will be registered, not the State." He indicated that Sant Cugat's intention is to "lead the change" so that municipalities comply with the law. In this regard, both councilors indicated that the City Council is simply reinforcing all controls to prevent a recurrence of the situation. Of the 4,000 relevant registrations, some were cancelled. It is impossible to know how many of these are due to legal fraud, people claiming to reside in the municipality without actually doing so, or "administrative negligence" or "oversight" in not processing the cancellation upon moving to a different location, according to Puigneró. This suggests an attempt to deceive the administration when, for example, there are continuous "registrations and cancellations" of residents at an address, or when an "overcrowding" is detected in a dwelling exceeding the number of people indicated on the occupancy certificate.

Unannounced checks

What will happen to sublet tenants or renters whom the landlord refuses to register? "They will be registered," Puigneró has repeatedly stated, affirming that it is both the municipality's obligation and the right of the resident. "We will enforce the law and prosecute fraud," he indicated. For these cases—and others that registry officials deem suspicious—the City Council will increase home inspections to verify who lives there. These will be unannounced visits, preferably at night or early in the morning, times when it is assumed that if someone lives there, they should be present. In cases where there is evidence of misrepresentation, the registration will not be officially recognized. In most cases, local police officers will conduct the checks, but municipal office staff may also be present. However, Puigneró emphasized that a police officer "does not have the same effect" as a civil servant. In Sant Cugat, they process so-called fictitious registrations, a procedure allowed by law for people without a fixed address or who are homeless. The governing team maintains this procedure, but only for people who are truly homeless, Puigneró clarified, who will need a "social services report" certifying their situation of extreme vulnerability.