The head of the PSOE ticket to Congress for Zaragoza, Fernando Beltrán, has denounced that the PP executives in the Zaragoza City Council and in the Government of Aragón are "turning their backs" on the neighborhoods in the south of the capital and, in his opinion, are putting urban development interests ahead of the provision of basic public services.
During a visit to Rosales del Canal, where he met with residents of the area, he set two ways of governing against each other: one, based on planning and investment in facilities, and another in which, as he criticized, "only the interests of a few are prioritized."
Beltrán has stressed that this neighborhood "perfectly exemplifies the two models that are at stake next November 29: that of those who bet on investing in public services to meet the needs of citizens and that of those who put business ahead of those needs."
Along these lines, he reproached the mayor, Natalia Chueca, and the regional president, Jorge Azcón, for "still" not having materialized their electoral commitment to build a health center, despite more than three years having passed since they announced it.
"Rosales del Canal is a young neighborhood, full of families, that needs public services up to the level of its growth. But the only thing that has grown in these three years are the PP's broken promises," he said. The residents have called for a rally on November 22 in order to demand explanations about the schedule and the location of the future health facility.
The socialist candidate has also called for reinforcement in public transportation connections and warned that the planning of services must take into account the development of the entire set of neighborhoods in the south district, including the new expansion areas of Zaragoza.
Criticism of the change of use of an educational plot
Another of Beltrán's central reproaches is aimed at the aim of the regional Executive to allocate a plot reserved for educational use for housing. The PSOE leader has questioned that the purpose of a piece of land intended for public amenities be altered in order to promote apartments whose construction and marketing, he has indicated, would fall to a private operator who would obtain a profit.
As an alternative, the PSOE has filed an initiative in the Cortes to demand that a center for Bachillerato and Vocational Training be built on those lands and that, in addition, the current educational and sports spaces in the surrounding area be improved.
Beltrán has highlighted the investment of more than 40 million euros that, he said, the Socialist governments carried out between 2015 and 2023 in educational infrastructures in the neighborhoods of southern Zaragoza. He has specified that during that period five schools were built and the Rosales del Canal educational center was expanded until it became an integrated center.
However, he has denounced that the Azcón executive has put the planned works on hold to continue expanding the facilities, which has led to a lack of space and has forced common areas to be used to hold classes.
"That is the difference between two models: we put the needs of families first; they, business," he said. "The PP has been promising solutions for three years and has done nothing for three years. Neighbors do not need more announcements; they need a health center, decent educational facilities, and public transport that meets their needs," he added.
Two opposing models of urban planning
In his address, Beltrán has insisted that the development of neighborhoods must be approached in a comprehensive way and in advance of the needs of the new families who move into them. He has identified education, health care, transport, and communications as priority areas, and he has criticized the absence of equipment planning to accompany residential growth.
"One model orders, plans, talks with the neighbors, understands their needs and incorporates them into public policies; the other model only prioritizes the interests of a few and lacks all the planning that is essential for the orderly growth of a neighborhood and a city," he summarized.
The candidate closed his address by linking this dilemma to the regional elections of 29 November: "On 29 November we also choose between two ways of doing politics: that of those who defend public services and that of those who turn the needs of the neighborhoods into business opportunities. Services versus business. PSOE versus PP. As always."