Puerto de la Cruz Neighborhood Association Left Without Power for Months Amid Administrative Gridlock

Administrative gridlock at the El Tejar neighborhood association in Puerto de la Cruz has reached a breaking point, leaving dozens of children and local groups without electricity since October 2025. As reported by Diario de Avisos, the ongoing power outage forces residents to rely on flashlights and mobile phones to carry out their activities, highlighting a concerning failure in the management of basic municipal services.

The issue stems from an irregular electrical connection linked to a neighboring property on Calle Canastilleras. Although the local government—a coalition of the PP, ACP, and CC—has acknowledged the technical challenges and set aside 20,000 euros to fix the problem, no action has been taken for nearly a year. This delay has fueled distrust among association leaders, who worry that the building’s deterioration is a deliberate attempt to reclaim the property, which was originally granted to the association in exchange for managing the local funeral parlor.

The situation is severely impacting the work of volunteers like María Vanessa León Peraza and Mila González, who provide tutoring and language classes to children, many of whom are from vulnerable backgrounds. Frustrated by the lack of progress, those affected have filed a complaint with the Ombudsman (Diputación del Común), alleging that the association is being treated unfairly due to the political leanings of its members or the presence of symbolic items, such as a portrait of a former socialist mayor, at the headquarters.

While the local government maintains that it must follow standard administrative procedures to ensure the work is legal, the lack of a clear timeline has left the community in limbo. This 40-year-old neighborhood hub remains in the dark, illustrating a growing tension between local authorities and the community over the management of essential services and the perceived neglect of social and educational needs.