Arona Approves €10.2M Maintenance Deal Amid Low Bid Row; Waste Tender Also Advances

Arona's town council recently approved a 10.2 million euro contract for maintaining its public buildings and roads. The deal, given to Fusiona Mantenimientos, SA, sparked a heated debate among councillors.

The main issue was that Fusiona Mantenimientos' bid was considered "abnormally low." Under public contract laws, this means the council must thoroughly explain how the company can deliver the service and protect workers' rights with such a low offer. The political group Más por Arona warned that this could lead to poor service quality and negatively affect employees.

The contract, which will cost over 2.6 million euros annually, was supported by the ruling coalition (PP-CC-Vox) and Nueva Canarias. The PSOE and Más por Arona abstained from the vote. PSOE spokesperson José Julián Mena highlighted that this was the third attempt to award the contract, suggesting poor planning by the local government. However, Héctor Reyes, the Councilor for Public Works, defended the process, stating that the government prioritized protecting employees and their families, which led to extending the old contract and speeding up the new bidding.

During the same meeting, councillors also discussed the tender for waste collection and street cleaning. Despite the local government voting against it, a proposal from the PSOE to start this process was approved. The current contract, which has been in place for sixteen years (including extensions), ends next year. The opposition argues it has major problems due to too few staff, a lack of oversight, and outdated terms that don't reflect Arona's growth over the last fifteen years. While Clari Pérez, the councilor responsible for the area, said work has been ongoing for months, socialist councilor Raquel García noted that no official resolution had been made to start the process, indicating a delay.