Santa Cruz de Tenerife Launches Emergency Plan to Accelerate Social Aid Processing

The Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council has launched an emergency plan to speed up the processing of Social Assistance Economic Benefits (PEAS). The initiative aims to cut waiting times for vulnerable residents who rely on this support. This move follows the recent integration of the Municipal Institute of Social Care (IMAS) into the City Council’s main structure, a transition that required a complete overhaul of how files are managed and reviewed.

The plan will run until July 31, with the possibility of extending it through August and September if the workload remains high. To handle the backlog, the council has created two teams of administrative staff and managers. These employees will work an extra three hours a day, three days a week, using a mix of office and remote work. To ensure efficiency, staff are expected to process at least four files per hour or review between six and eight cases in the same timeframe.

Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez highlighted the need to improve municipal operations, noting that the city handled 75,000 social aid requests last year. Councilor Charín González added that the primary goal is to clear pending files so that families receive the support they need much faster.

This effort follows the introduction of new social aid regulations approved in April, which updated the range of services available. Key changes include new support for home care, which now covers up to 60 hours per month with a maximum annual limit of 15,674 euros per household. By strengthening its administrative processes, the City Council hopes to ensure these new social protections are delivered effectively to meet rising public demand.