Tenerife Council Approves "Most Social" Budget; PSOE Rejects

The Tenerife Island Council has approved its budget for 2026, describing it as "the most focused on social needs in history." The Socialist Party (PSOE) rejected the budget, while Vox abstained.

The total funds for the Council and its related organizations amount to 1.278 billion euros. A significant portion, 417 million euros, is dedicated to social policies – a 33% increase from the previous term. President Rosa Dávila stated that this "social record" aims to improve healthcare, housing, job opportunities, and scholarships.

Next year's budget also allocates 477 million euros, or 34% of the total, to direct investments across the island. This includes everything from general maintenance to new building projects, installing streetlights, and repairing roads. Overall, the budget is expected to contribute 90.51% to the island's economic activity.

The consolidated budget, which includes dependent agencies and companies, stands at 1.258 billion euros. The Council's own budget is 1.149 billion euros, an 8.8% increase from 2025. This represents a 10.2% increase (119 million euros) compared to last year, and a 21% increase over 2023, according to Juan Carlos Pérez Frías, the island's Director of Finance. He highlighted a record 15.2 million euros for housing, which is 48% more than in 2025.

During the budget debate, Socialist spokesperson Aarón Afonso criticized the plan, saying it "doesn't connect with the people." He argued that it fails to provide new housing or dependency care places, cuts funding for mobility and the natural environment, and includes a tax increase to boost the salaries of the president's advisors. Afonso and Pérez Frías disagreed, especially on the Natural Environment budget, with Afonso claiming a two-million-euro decrease and Pérez Frías stating a six-million-euro increase, explaining that eight million euros less in European funds accounted for the difference.

Afonso called the debate "the most important of the year," given the significance of the Council's resources. However, public interest seemed low, with only one person attending the session in person and 24 watching online, potentially indicating a lack of engagement from Tenerife society.

President Rosa Dávila defended the budget as "focused on people and the island's main challenges." She described it as ambitious and balanced, allowing the Council to maintain its key policies. The government also noted that nine opposition amendments were approved – five from the PSOE and four from the Mixed Group (Vox) – which, they said, showed a willingness to reach agreements. Dávila reiterated the significant boost to social policies with 417 million euros, a 33% increase from the previous term, aimed at strengthening socio-health care, housing, job placement, and scholarships.

Pérez Frías outlined three main characteristics of the budget. First, it is "prudent," meaning resources are distributed efficiently, with social solidarity and balance across the island. Second, its timely preparation ensures it will take effect on January 1, 2026, providing a positive start and continuity for island policies. Lastly, he mentioned external factors like the slowdown in global and European growth, and the uncertainty surrounding the potential extension of Spain's national budget, with the possibility of early general elections looming over the discussions.

The Island Council government emphasized that 90.51% of the budget is invested directly into economic activity. Investment capacity is maintained, with 257 million euros from the Council's exclusive budget, and a total of 477 million euros (34% of the consolidated budget) when including funds from dependent entities.

Key areas and policies see significant increases:

• Funds for revitalizing and boosting the island will rise to 200.8 million euros, a 24% increase from 2023.
• Social action and family support will receive 416.9 million euros, up 33% from 2023.
• The environment, sustainability, and primary sector will see 202.1 million euros, a 17% growth compared to 2023.
• Sustainable Mobility is allocated 219.6 million euros for 2026, plus an additional 37 million euros carried over from 2025.
• Modernizing the institution will receive 109.7 million euros, a 36% increase in the 2026 budget compared to 2023.

Vice President Lope Afonso (PP) highlighted the "consolidation of accounts to address the needs of the citizens of this Island," emphasizing that the budget acts as both "engine and rudder" for the island, especially with its planned start on January 1, 2026. He called the budget "the most social in the history of the Island Council," allocating 380 million euros to social management. He also pointed to increased funding for socio-health infrastructure (an additional 24 million euros) and specialized staff (up 7%), with human resources funding growing from 72 million euros in 2023 to 86 million euros now. Afonso noted that the current government has approved three budgets in just over two years, matching the Spanish Government's output in seven, demonstrating a clear roadmap.

José Miguel Ruano, spokesperson for Coalición Canaria, pointed out that this is "the third most important local budget in Spain." He stated that it addresses current needs and prepares the island for future challenges, consolidating investments made in infrastructure and services during the first half of the term. Ruano also valued the "stability" it brings to Tenerife, despite uncertainties at the national level, noting that the Island Council receives about 60% of its budget from transferred and delegated powers.

Vox councilor Ana Salazar called for "firm and authentic" management. She criticized the governing parties (CC and PP) for not having "transformed" the island's reality despite large investments. She presented amendments for mobility, health, heritage, industry, security, the primary sector, and tourism, some of which were rejected by the government as already being covered.

Socialist spokesperson Aarón Afonso reiterated his criticism, stating the budget "neither resolves nor addresses the island's main problem," which is the lack of housing. He claimed that no new homes would be built, despite the government's stated investment of 68 million euros to mobilize over a thousand. He also highlighted reduced allocations for Mobility and Roads, arguing that no measures were adopted to solve the island's traffic problems.

Afonso further stated that the budget "does not create new residential places for the elderly and people with disabilities" and reduces funds for the Natural Environment, including the protection of the National Park. He also claimed the primary sector is losing importance for the third consecutive year. Regarding environmental matters, Afonso accused the island government of planning to collect an additional five million euros from a fuel tax approved in 2024 (known as the "forest cent") while simultaneously cutting 2.5 million euros from the Natural Environment budget. He noted that this cut matched the increase in the President's Cabinet budget for advertising, propaganda, and a 25% salary increase for advisors, declaring: "In Tenerife, there is no forest cent; there is a Rosa Dávila cent." He also debated the need to expand staff for entities like Balten and the Island Water Council, proposals that were rejected.

The PSOE of Tenerife submitted a comprehensive amendment and 152 partial amendments, totaling 140 million euros, aiming to redirect the budget towards priorities like housing, dependency care, mobility, territorial protection, the natural environment, the primary sector, and sustainability. Five of these were approved, including 300,000 euros to combat the termite plague, funding for an overnight stay service at the Altavista refuge, 118,000 euros in support for the municipality of Arico as compensation for the Environmental Complex, a proposal for the Ravelo animal shelter (El Sauzal), and a project for female artists from Tenerife.

The Mixed Group (Vox) saw four of its 15 amendments approved. Their spokesperson, Naím Yánez, described them as "simple and feasible" and regretted that proposals related to the south of the island were not addressed. The approved amendments included 150,000 euros for paving the TF-1 highway near the capital, 200,000 euros for the industrial sector, another 200,000 euros for the Granadilla Industrial Estate, and 100,000 euros to boost scholarships abroad.