Canary Islands government imposes measures against youth aid in the capital
The capital calls the regional decision an “unacceptable interference” regarding municipal financial health
The City Council of Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura) has submitted a request to the Vice Ministry of Finance of the Canary Islands Government to revoke the unfavorable report that blocks the implementation of rental‑deposit assistance for young people up to 35 years old.
In a statement released Thursday, the council described the regional decision as an “unacceptable interference” and an “overstepping of powers” that undermines local autonomy and directly harms the municipality’s youth.
Mayor David de Vera defended the council’s “solid financial health,” noting it has zero debt, a treasury surplus of nearly €27 million, and current quarterly projections that guarantee a budgetary surplus for the current fiscal year.
“It is incomprehensible that, with this solvency, we are being subjected to coercive measures based on a mistaken and disproportionate interpretation of our financial situation, and we will not allow our ability to manage the interests of our neighbors to be undermined,” he said.
The request, driven by the councilor for Economy and Finance Juan Manuel Verdugo, aims to dismantle the Vice Ministry’s arguments, the council says.
Verdugo noted that the regional report “inexcusablely ignores both state and regional regulations, specifically Article 21 of the Budgetary Stability Law, which requires the preparation of a new Economic‑Financial Plan (PEF) when one is already in force for the 2025‑2026 period.”
Furthermore, the councilor emphasized that the 2026 municipal budget, approved and in force, “scrupulously” meets the objectives of budgetary stability and the spending rule, as certified by the municipal auditor in his fiscal‑compliance report attached to the 2026 budget file.
“The isolated imbalance in 2025 was due to the payment of a court judgment exceeding €6 million, an extraordinary expense that does not stem from a structural problem; therefore, imposing now a non‑availability of credit contemplated in the ordinary budget, which does not require extraordinary credits, is a disproportionate measure lacking legal basis, undermining our autonomy and could even constitute an arbitrary discretion,” Verdugo asserted.
Housing councilor Toñi Fernández stated that “these aids are essential for our young people to access housing and develop their life projects in the municipality.”
“We have the resources and capacity to implement them, and it is frustrating and intolerable that an unjustified administrative decision hinders such a necessary social policy against the youth of our municipality,” she explained.
The council has warned that if the request is not addressed and the unfavorable report is not revoked within a month, it will file the corresponding administrative‑law appeal to defend its competencies and the interests of Puerto del Rosario’s citizens.