Granadilla de Abona Housing Crisis Deepens Amid Political Turmoil

Granadilla de Abona is facing a housing crisis that goes far beyond the numbers. A study commissioned by the local council from the University of La Laguna shows that the town needs 5,500 new homes to keep up with a market struggling under a 27% population surge between 2011 and 2021—a growth driven largely by migration. This pressure has caused rental prices to jump by 70% to 80% since 2020, leaving many families spending up to 63% of their monthly income just to keep a roof over their heads.

This economic strain was the backdrop for a recent, highly fractured council meeting. While the governing coalition—made up of Coalición Canaria, the Partido Popular, and Vox—insists that the municipal company Sermugran is being adapted to manage housing solutions, the debate was derailed by an institutional crisis. A proposal from the PSOE to boost public housing was never fully discussed, as the socialist group walked out after one of their councilors, David Santos, was expelled.

The walkout, which included the socialist bench and independent councilor Bianca Cerbán, followed a heated argument over the use of official social media accounts. After repeated warnings, Mayor José Domingo Regalado ordered Santos to leave. Socialist spokesperson Jennifer Miranda later accused the mayor of censorship and bias, while the municipal government maintained that its focus remains on managing housing through public channels rather than private development.

The situation in Granadilla de Abona highlights a broader issue across the Canary Islands, where a lack of housing and rising rents are forcing local leaders to rethink their approach. The main challenge for the current administration is to turn Sermugran into an effective tool for housing management. However, deep political divisions are making it difficult to reach the consensus needed to tackle what councilor Rubén García describes as a housing emergency affecting the entire region.