El Tanque Council Clashes Over Salary Claims
El Tanque Town Council is embroiled in a dispute over public money management, with the Coalición Canaria alleging significant salary increases for the ruling team, while Mayor Esther Morales attributes any changes to national regulations and future budget projections.
A disagreement has broken out in El Tanque Town Council over how public money is managed. This follows recent claims from the Coalición Canaria (CC) party that the salaries for the ruling team have gone up a lot.
However, the mayor, Esther Morales from the PSOE party, has given a very different explanation. She says any changes are due to national rules and future budget plans.
The CC party claims that by 2026, the cost of salaries and direct payments for the ruling group could be over 317,000 euros. This would be an increase of more than 21,000 euros compared to the year before, or 7%. CC spokesperson, Carlos Alegría, made this complaint, suggesting the increase directly affects the salaries of local officials.
Mayor Morales, on the other hand, has clarified that salary adjustments apply to all council staff and come from a council agreement made in 2023. She stressed that the national government, not the local council, decides public sector pay rises. This is standard practice in Spain, where increases are set nationally each year and applied broadly.
She explained that including certain percentages in the 2026 budget, like the 2.5% approved by the national government in December 2025, is just a way to plan ahead. However, she pointed out that these increases still need to be agreed upon with trade unions. She denied that any payment has already been made or guaranteed. The mayor called CC's statement "completely wrong," repeating that decisions about pay rises come from the national level.
The mayor also reminded everyone that the CC councillors were not at the special council meeting in November. This was when the budget for the next financial year was approved – a crucial time for reviewing and approving the council's finances. The opposition's involvement in these meetings is vital for checking budget items and ensuring local management is open and clear.