Enrique Pérez: “We used to complain that every project coming to Betancuria involved walls and stones, but now we don’t even get that”

“For about ten months now, since he became mayor, nothing has moved forward in Betancuria. No major project has been brought forward, no contract has been launched, no tender has been issued, and we have no budget,” he said in an interview on La Voz de Fuerteventura, on Radio Insular.

Pérez stressed that his party had tried to maintain a constructive opposition during this time. “We keep putting forward proposals and bringing the voices of our neighbours in the municipality to council meetings, to talk about their problems and try to find solutions to everyday issues.” However, he said, the new administration had failed to meet expectations. “We used to complain that things were moving very slowly, that no further effort was being made to seek help or measures for municipalities like ours. Now we see that all of that has been relegated to second place,” he said.

For the AM-CC spokesperson, the absence of a budget is a clear sign of this inaction. “We’ve been asking about it since January, and there has been no announcement of an intention to extend the existing budget, for example,” he said, adding that “they can’t give us any answers; nobody knows when one will be brought forward”.

Pérez also criticised the loss of important grants. “The municipality is losing a hugely important grant of €100,000, and his explanation is that, according to what has been reported in the media, the Presidency’s office did not tell him there was a document listing them. He needs to be more serious.”

Pérez also warned that essential contracts had stalled: “We can see that hugely important contracts still need to be put out to tender, such as the household waste collection contract and the car park, as well as tenders and pending works. Some works already have permits and have been awarded, such as those at Playa de Santa Inés, yet they are not getting under way or making progress.”

The AM-CC spokesperson also criticised the handling of works certificates: “He bypasses a plenary agreement, which is the highest governing body in a municipality. Certificates 9, 10 and 11 are paid without giving us any explanation.” He added: “We don’t understand why he didn’t follow the proper procedure, bring them to the council meeting, have them approved and then pay them. But we see that he has gone and bypassed it again.” The councillor said the Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the matter and that they will have to wait and see what the courts decide.

On the lack of public toilets, Pérez was unequivocal: “It’s a shame to visit such a beautiful village, such a beautiful municipality, and find that it doesn’t even have public toilets. Tourists arrive at the car park, which is currently unattended, park, go to the toilets, find them closed and immediately go behind the building, down to the ravine, to relieve themselves.”

Aim: tackling depopulation

Among the proposals put forward by AM-CC to tackle depopulation, one of the municipality’s most complex challenges, Pérez highlighted specific measures. “We have proposed several times at council meetings that a municipality like Betancuria, with a budget of three million euros, should set aside six or seven thousand euros to pay for the books of children who are registered residents and attend schools in our municipality.”

He also argued for incentives to restore traditional homes: “What we need to do is put measures in place to encourage people to come and live here. Bold measures: remove that licence, that project, and ease the investment required of people who want to restore a home.”

The councillor urged the municipality to seek funding from different public bodies and make the most of opportunities for people who want to tackle depopulation.

Finally, Pérez stressed the need for responsible political leadership. “There is no room for political colours when we hold public office. We have to start working for the common good of our neighbours. There is no room for excuses here; we have to take responsibility.”

The councillor, who is also a member of the Fuerteventura Island Council, praised the benefits of living in Betancuria and recalled that “the most beautiful village in Spain wasn’t made by any politician; it was made by the people who live here, who look after their homes, their façades and their history. What we have to do is help them, not put obstacles in their way,” he concluded.