Inside Council fully The Generalitat Cooperation Fund, which will be held this Friday, is an investment project that will have the allocation of resources for 2024 next year, whose donation will be increased by 10 million euros. Therefore, the program will be distributed among the municipalities of the Community of Valencia from the existing 40 million to a total of 50 million. As for the regional distribution, the province of Alicante will also benefit, as the amount allocated by the Generalitat will increase from 13 million to 17 million. The rest of the distribution is 25.6 million that Valencia receives and 7.4 million that goes to Castellón.
Consell counter-attacked with Co-operative Fund: 10 million more despite City Council’s plan
Regional President Ximo Puig announced that the Cooperation Fund will rise from 40 million to 50 million, a decision made shortly after the Alicante Provincial Assembly approved the foundations of Plan + Cerca, an alternative proposal to the Generalitat project this year. The head of Consell views the fund as a tool to bolster the solvency and capacity of municipalities. He expresses disappointment that the popular Carlos Mazón led provincial institution chose not to participate in the plan. This disagreement has become one of the sharpest institutional clashes between the Generalitat and the Provincial Assembly in recent times.
The law governing the Cooperation Fund requires that, in the first quarter of each year, a basic finance sector plan outline how the fund will be allocated for the next fiscal year. The aim is to coordinate the participation of county councils in the fund to ensure the financial adequacy of local governments.
since 2017
Generalitat launched the relief fund for municipalities in 2017, making a move that had not been seen before, although its foundations date back to 2000. Puig emphasizes the importance of cooperation among institutions to meet challenges and seize opportunities. In this context, the Generalitat has introduced three additional municipal finance funds, distributing 330 million in the last three years despite facing funding shortfalls. These funds address Combating Population Reduction, Tourist Municipalities, and Forest Management.
Soon after the Generalitat announced the fund increase, the Committee gave the green light to the Plan + Cerca foundations for 2023. This marks a continuing chapter in a long corporate debate that has spanned years. With Botànic in power, the fund was launched, and since then, tensions with the Alicante State Council have persisted, especially with Carlos Mazón during this term.
PSPV estimates suggest that the province has faced significant losses in recent years due to the City Council government team’s refusal to participate in the project. This stance has prompted a notable number of socialist mayors in the province to demonstrate outside the Provincial Palace at the end of last December.