The Lisbon City Council intends to increase by four million euros the amount it transfers to the 24 parishes of the city for the area of urban hygiene, which currently amounts to 7,858 million, the president of the executive stated this Wednesday.
In statements to the Lusa agency, Carlos Moedas (PSD) stated that the update of the amounts that the municipality of Lisbon will transfer to the parish councils It results from the increase in the value of the tourist tax.which doubled from two to four euros per night, indicating that in total there are “four additional million euros”, of which two million will be allocated this year and the rest at the beginning of 2025.
The proposal of the mayor of Lisbon, who governs without an absolute majority, must still be voted on in a meeting of the municipal executive and, subsequently, must be submitted to the Municipal Assembly.
These are the inter-administrative cooperation contracts between the municipality and the 24 parishes of Lisbon in the field of urban hygiene, which have been concluded since 2019, with the transfer of a total amount of 7,858 million euros (ME) per year. , to “ensure management based on the optimization of the use of infrastructure and resources, in terms of urban hygiene, with a focus on the cleaning of roads and public spaces in the parish, involving the participation of financial support.”
According to the proposal presented this week by the chamber to the presidents of the boards on updating the amounts, and to which Lusa had access, all 24 parishes will have an increase in fundingof which 11 will benefit from an increase of more than 50%highlighting the case of Lumiar, which went from 120 thousand euros to 209 thousand, which corresponds to an increase of 74%.
The parishes in the historic center will continue to receive the largest amount of funding, but without significant increases, with increases of around 6%, namely Santa Maria Maior (from 1,392 ME to 1,477 ME), Santo António (965 thousand euros to 1,023 ME ) and Misericordia (955 thousand euros to 1,014 ME), according to the document.
Also notable are Arroios, which will go from 815 thousand euros to 1,002 ME, São Vicente (490 thousand to 631 thousand), Belém (356 thousand to 497 thousand), Avenidas Novas (355 thousand to 488 thousand), Estrela (310 thousand to 497 thousand ), 386 thousand) and Parque das Nações (234 thousand to 369 thousand).
Carlos Moedas highlighted the proposal of “a 50% increase” in the funds to be transferred to the town councils and stressed that the values were obtained based on a “technical criterion” based on the tourist pressure in each parish, “without any of politics”. tangle”.
Asked about the increase in parishes in the historic center, the mayor stated that “Those who already received a lot, as is the case of Santa Maria Maior, had a small increasebecause they were already above everyone else” and were receiving “within what was fair.”
“In my point of view, no increase would even be necessary, because they already receive much more than the others, but even so a technical criterion was respected, to see what exactly the tourist pressure is, and Tourist pressure gave value to each one.but obviously the tourist pressure gave greater value to those who still received less and who already had tourist pressure,” declared the social democrat, considering that the complaints of the PS mayors about the funds are due to the fact that they are already in a political campaign for the 2025 local elections.
“Unfortunately they are already in a political campaign. It’s not my case. I am president of the chamber and I am not in a political campaign,” Carlos Moedas highlighted, pointing out that in the previous legislature, under the leadership of the PS, the distribution of funds “was done without technical criteria, with purely political criteria.” ”.
Criticizing the proposal of the PSD/CDS-PP executive, the president of the Misericórdia Parish Council, Carla Madeira (PS), reinforced that the value attributed to her municipality “has already been insufficient for some years”, because the work carried out They have “very high costs, not only in urban hygiene but also in the maintenance of public space,” including tourism and nightlife.
“For the mayor to say that the parish of Misericórdia already had a lot of funding and does not need more is an insult that, once again, he is doing to the parish of Misericórdia and its inhabitants, therefore it means that he is not among the least concerned for the quality of life of the residents of the Misericórdia parish, because, in the meantime, it continues to allow establishments to operate after hours,” the PS mayor told Lusa.
Recognizing failures in the city’s urban hygiene, Carlos Moedas highlighted the hiring of 200 workers in 2022 and the ongoing hiring process of another 200, for a total of 400, stating that “You can’t solve a 14-year-old problem in three years.“.
Questioning the “bicephaly between the city council and the parishes in matters of urban cleaning”, the president of the municipal executive defended “a great reflection”, which will also require changes in national legislation.
“I still have many doubts about this. [a reorganização administrativa de Lisboa]because the result is visible. It is a result that harms the city. Now I can’t change that from one day to the next,” he pointed out.
The social democrat also highlighted that the income from the tourist tax is allocated to urban hygiene, but also to other areas, in particular to new cultural facilities and the maintenance of green spaces, “in order to have a city in which tourism contributes more to people.” and for the quality of life of those who live in Lisbon.”
Source: Observadora
