Portal de Murcia
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José Ballesta and Luis Barcala sign the 'Manifesto for the local financing of the big cities of the Spanish Southeast'.
Murcia and Alicante have experienced a very important demographic growth in the last 20 years.
However, they are from the municipalities of Spain that receive less funds from the State.
Both regidores claim the arrival of "vital" infrastructures for the Spanish Southeast as the Mediterranean Corridor, the third lane of the A-7, the North and Northwest Arches and the improvement of the suburban service.
The mayor of Murcia, José Ballesta, and the mayor of Alicante, Luis Barcala, signed this morning in the Chamber of Corregidores of La Glorieta the 'Manifesto for local financing of the major cities of Southeast Spain'.
José Ballesta said that "we are claiming not what we deserve but what we need.
Murcia and Alicante are the seventh and the eleventh capitals of Spain, and our population and demographic growth rate is the highest in the country at this time.
It is true that there is a Spain that is being emptied, but there is another Spain that is filling up and must be attended to;
and we have the obligation to offer quality services to the residents of the area with the highest demographic growth in Spain ".
Murcia and Alicante have experienced a very important demographic growth in the last 20 years.
Murcia has gone from 370,000 inhabitants to 450,000, while Alicante has grown from 284,000 to 331,000.
However, they are from the municipalities of Spain that receive less funds from the State.
In 2018 Valencia received funding of 429 euros / inhabitant, Malaga 407 and Zaragoza 392, while Murcia received only 221 euros and Alicante 232, that is, half of cities with similar characteristics.
"The current model of distribution of state funding clearly harms our cities and part of that funding refers to improper competencies that are developing municipalities.
In addition, the distribution criteria of these funds are not stable or predictable nor are they subject to evolution rules, so they generate instability and uncertainty, "criticized the mayor of Murcia.
For his part, Luis Barcala said that "we need this support from the State and fair treatment to be able to provide these essential services to citizens, from security and cleanliness, to education or health.
Because ultimately, the best for Murcia and Alicante will be the best for Spain "and added that" we can not be continuously supporting an overload of these services and receive no compensation and we will transfer our claim to the Government of Spain. "
Infrastructures: Mediterranean Corridor, neighborhoods, A-7 and North and Northwest Arches
José Ballesta said that "we need this improvement in local funding because our main objective is to serve Murcia and Alicante and to do so there are two key elements: financing and infrastructure."
In this sense he explained that "both Murcia and Alicante are peripheral cities of Spain, which in turn is a peripheral country of Europe.
Due to our geographical location, we need to plan the specific infrastructure network and the Mediterranean Corridor is an absolutely strategic element so that our areas of influence can be economically developed;
an infrastructure that is a reality north of Alicante and Murcia, but that here still does not arrive ".
José Ballesta also referred to the commuter service between Alicante and Murcia: "Last year it had more than two million passengers.
According to Renfe Operadora's own data, of the 43 trips scheduled each day, ten suffer delays.
The material that is currently in service is a diesel of the year 1981 and its renewal has never quite arrived. "
Another infrastructure on which both Murcia and Alicante claim improvements is the A-7 motorway, which records a daily average of 47,000 passenger cars and 7,108 heavy vehicles, being the most used in all of Spain, except for the radials of Madrid and Barcelona.
In addition, it is the highway of Spain that has the highest percentage of accidents continuously recorded from 2012 to 2017, according to sources of the DGT itself.
Therefore, both local councilors claimed the construction of the third lane of the A-7 and urged the immediate bidding of the North and Northwest Arches.
They will transfer the Manifesto to the Government of Spain and the FEMP
Both mayors expressed their intention to transfer the Manifesto to other cities to join this document, which will soon be transferred to the Government of Spain and the Federation of Spain of Municipalities and Provinces.
The manifesto includes five priority demands
1.- That the local financing take into account the capital of Murcia and Alicante and its singularity as main urban centers of the Spanish southeast.
2.- That the local financing takes into account the population, dispersion and area of ​​the municipalities for the provision of infrastructures and resources.
3.- That a clarification of the competence framework of the Local Entities be carried out, in order to provide them with greater resources for the management of improper competences.
4.- That the singularity of both municipalities justifies the definitive commitment for the development of the Mediterranean Corridor as well as of other so many infrastructures that facilitate the growth of the Spanish southeast.
5.- That the projects betting on the technological development of the local administrations be provided budget-wise, as the main foundation to improve the efficiency in the management and the quality of life of the citizens.
Less financing compared to a larger population
Through the Manifesto, Murcia and Alicante join forces and create a common front as more active capitals of South East Spain, to demand fair and adequate financing as key points of the Mediterranean Arc, and seventh and eleventh most populated municipalities in Spain, respectively.
To this situation it is added that the cities of Murcia and Alicante, for their capital, provide a large number of health, educational, cultural, mobility and administrative services to a large population from neighboring municipalities, for which no type is received. of compensation.
In the municipality of Murcia, approximately 70% of the budget is obtained from the own collection of the municipality and the remaining 25% is received from State transfers, while 2.5% comes from the Community.
"We have to resort to national and European funds in competitive competition with other cities to develop certain strategic projects, since municipal budgets are not enough," said José Ballesta.
Technical meeting on the smart city model
Another aspect in which both cities shared their vision and experiences is related to the Smart City development model.
Specifically, a technical meeting was held between the two local Corporations, chaired by the two local councilors, and the presence of the councilors of the area, municipal technicians, heads of collaborating companies and specialists of the University of Murcia.
In this meeting, the IT Governance Model, the Murcia Smart City project, the Tu Murcia application, the CLARA contracting and management platform and the development of eGovernment were addressed.
Source: Ayuntamiento de Murcia
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