PSOE to push Canary Islands Government for new ten year housing plan

The Canary Islands branch of the PSOE will urge the Canary Islands Government, at the next plenary session of the regional parliament, to approve a new ten-year housing plan and to include in the regional budget the specific supplement relating to the Canary Islands income scheme.

This was announced on Saturday by the Deputy General Secretary of the PSOE in the Canary Islands, Elena Máñez, in remarks to journalists at the party’s headquarters in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where she spoke of the «momentous» juncture facing Spanish society following the calling of a general election for 29 November.

«Elections have been called in which we will decide what kind of society we want to live in,» said Máñez, who contrasted, on the one hand, a society that recognises the elderly Mari Carmen Abascal, who was evicted from her home in Madrid a few weeks ago and has been the driving force behind the social protests that followed, and, on the other, one in which a minute’s silence for this woman’s death is refused.

Canary Islands: PSOE calls for a rent allowance to be added to the basic income

Máñez also criticised the comments made by the leader of the PP in the Canary Islands, Manuel Domínguez, who said he felt «proud» of his party, «which has voted against a ban on evictions», in the words of the Socialist leader.

In the wake of these social protests, the PSOE will table a motion at the next regional plenary session calling on the Canary Islands Government, formed by Coalición Canaria and the PP, to include, «once and for all», funding in the budget for the housing supplement under the Canary Islands income scheme.

A measure which, in her view, «would save, help and protect all those families and individuals who are currently struggling to meet their housing costs and lead a dignified life».

Housing plan aims to create more social housing in the Canary Islands

Similarly, the Socialists will table a parliamentary motion calling for the adoption of a new ten-year housing plan for the archipelago, as the current plan is the one approved by the government led by the Secretary-General of the Canary Islands PSOE, Ángel Víctor Torres, during the previous parliamentary term.

Regarding this plan, Máñez has said that it must have «sufficient funding and clear objectives», as it is necessary to «increase the stock of public housing in the Canary Islands and ensure it is protected».

Socialist Youth criticises the Canary Islands' housing policy

A regional government which both she and the leader of the Socialist Youth in the Canary Islands, Tomás González, have accused of failing to do its bit on housing.

In fact, González has stated that it is «completely at a loss and at the mercy of the housing policies devised in the penthouse of (the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz) Ayuso».

Policies which, in his view, «restrict young people’s access to social housing», to the extent that he has claimed that the biggest problem facing young people on the islands at the moment «is called Fernando Clavijo and Manuel Domínguez».

«We have to go all out; we have to regulate the housing market, expand it and, of course, also address the issue of rents, particularly for rooms: we cannot carry on living in shared rooms; we cannot develop our way of life,» concluded the leader of the Canary Islands Socialist Youth.