The PSD/CDS-PP leadership in the Lisbon Chamber proposed this Wednesday the allocation of 126 million euros in 2025 for the city’s 24 parish councils, hoping that this measure will contribute to the PS making the municipal budget viable.
“Today, the PS is naturally vulnerable to the issue of parishes, especially because, as we know, it is the party that is in charge of the largest number of parishes (…), so even in the logic of parish councils, my expectation is that, if nothing else, the budget will be made viable”, said Filipe Anacoreta Correia (CDS-PP), at the presentation of Lisbon’s municipal budget proposal for 2025, which took place at Paços do Concelho.
The vice-president of the chamber and responsible for Finance revealed that Lisbon’s municipal budget proposal for 2025 foresees 126 million euros (ME) within the scope of the delegation of powers to the city’s 24 parish councils, explaining that this amount it is for intervention “in several areas”, including urban hygiene, green spaces and sports.
Anacoreta Correia added that the proposal of 126 ME represents an increase of 22% compared to the 103 ME foreseen for 2024 and “reflects the council’s commitment in terms of support and viewing parish councils as partners in various areas” to respond to the populations of the city.
“We made a great effort to, essentially, include these values right from the start in the initial budget, because we often advanced to the budget and not all the items were properly allocated”, explained the mayor, highlighting that this situation generated complaints from the together that “contracts for delegation of competence were often signed late” and, therefore, there were delays in the execution of contracts.
In this sense, the PSD/CDS-PP leadership intends to “allocate the initial budget with these amounts, allowing the services to advance as quickly as possible”, to have an execution aligned with the year in which the contracts are signed with the boards.
Asked if he expects support from the PS to make the municipal budget proposal for 2025 viable, Anacoreta Correia replied that it is not up to him to be calm in relation to the PS’s position and highlighted that “it is a good budget, it is a budget that serves the city”, hoping that the document can be approved.
Representing the PSD/CDS-PP leadership in the Lisbon City Council, Anacoreta Correia presented this Wednesday a municipal budget proposal of 1,359 million euros for 2025, slightly higher than the 1,303 million predicted for this year.
In this context, the head of Finance highlighted the 441 ME of capital expenditure for investment next year, indicating that it represents “a very large percentage (in the budget), almost 30%”.
This is the last municipal budget of this mandate (2021-2025), proposed by the PSD/CDS-PP management, under the presidency of Carlos Moedas (PSD), who governs Lisbon without an absolute majority. If approved, it will be implemented in a municipal election year.
The first three budgets of the PSD/CDS-PP leadership were approved thanks to the abstention of the PS, and the rest of the opposition – PCP, BE, Livre and Cidadãos Por Lisboa (elected by the PS/Livre coalition) – voted against.
In the municipal budget for this year 2024, the city hall estimated an expenditure of R$1.3 billion, “quite in line” with that for 2023.
Currently, the executive of the Lisbon Chamber, which is made up of 17 members, includes seven elected members of the “Novos Tempos” coalition (PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Aliança) — who are the only ones with assigned responsibilities and who govern without an absolute majority –, three from the PS, two from the PCP, three from Cidadãos Por Lisboa (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), one from Livre and one from BE.
Source: www.jornaldenegocios.pt
