The eight municipalities of the Region with less than 5,000 inhabitants will receive in the coming days a subsidy in the amount of 1,200,000 euros from the annual Local Cooperation Fund, whose purpose is to help finance the current expenses of these municipalities and offer quality services to its citizens. The beneficiary municipalities are Albudeite, Aledo, Campos del Río, Ojós, Pliego, Ricote, Ulea and Villanueva del Río Segura.
It is a source of financing that they can allocate to what they consider necessary and is of vital importance for these municipalities due to the specific weight that it has in their income each year. So much so that this amount represents around 10% of the annual budget of some of these town councils, to which the Ministry of the Presidency, Spokesperson and Foreign Action makes this contribution, through the General Directorate of Local Administration, with the aim of correct possible territorial imbalances. Councilor Marcos Ortuño met this Wednesday in Ojós with the mayors of the eight municipalities that have the least population to address with them issues related to the municipal economic cooperation plans, as well as the future proposals that the first councilors wanted to raise.
These eight municipalities received a total of 2,235,000 euros in 2023 distributed across three different plans. On the one hand, the Local Cooperation Fund, endowed with 1.2 million euros, along with a complementary fund of 330,000 euros; In addition, 551,022 euros were received from the Municipal Works and Services Plan; and, thirdly, they had 154,504 euros corresponding to the subsidy of 100% of the fees of the Regional Fire Extinction Consortium. Regarding the financial contributions planned for this year, the Works and Services Plan will amount to 663,212 euros, that is, 112,190 more than in 2023, which represents an increase of 20.3%.
To this income destined to carry out projects that improve the quality of life of residents, this year, specific extraordinary aid aimed at the eight smallest municipalities is incorporated. This measure consists of guaranteeing an increase of at least 10% compared to the previous year. This amount will be added to what corresponds to each one according to the criteria established for the distribution.
Territorial solidarity
This initiative is proposed with the purpose of “fulfilling a function of leveling and solidarity,” Ortuño explained, and to prevent these municipalities from being harmed, since the distribution of funds from the Works and Services Plan takes into account the surface of the territory and population, which are two indices that do not benefit smaller municipalities.
The counselor attributed this growth to “the close and sensitive policy of the regional government towards all municipalities, and especially those with smaller populations, which have more limited resources to meet the demands for better services from their neighbors.” . The 2024 Community Budgets also contemplate, in addition to the Works and Services Plan and the allocation of 1.2 million euros from the Local Cooperation Fund, more than 120,000 euros to fully finance the fees of the Regional Fire Extinction Consortium. Fires.
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