The PP's Housing spokesperson in the Courts of Aragon, Susana Cobos, has defended that the regional Executive chaired by Jorge Azcón will continue to bet on the promotion of public housing as the main way to meet the residential demand of the people of Aragon. At the same time, she has lashed out at the PSOE's management when they occupied Pignatelli, considering that "they decided to do nothing and the problem worsened".
In a press conference, Cobos has rejected the "lessons" that the PSOE now wants to give, emphasizing that the lack of action during their years in government has had negative effects and that they must assume their political responsibility.
The 'popular' deputy has presented data that, in her opinion, expose the previous Executive: "86 homes in 8 years of PSOE government versus 3,000 in three years of PP government. While the PSOE left European funds for housing practically unexecuted, the Government of Aragon has turned them into results. When we came to government, only 4.7% of those funds were committed".
In this regard, she has remarked that "today, Aragon has executed practically the 115 million allocated, allowing the rehabilitation of nearly 8,000 homes and the promotion of more than 700 social housing units. Where others left money in drawers, this Government has built housing," she added.
Measures to serve municipalities and tourist areas
Cobos has highlighted that the current housing policy of the Government of Aragon is aimed at meeting the needs of the territory as a whole, with special attention to small municipalities and areas with greater tourist pressure.
In this context, she has mentioned initiatives such as the "Programa 700" and "Más Vivienda, Mejor Turismo" (More Housing, Better Tourism), designed to facilitate housing in smaller towns and in tourist destinations where the scarcity of supply made it difficult to cover essential jobs.
She recalled that "the Programa 700 has already mobilized 20 million euros, has acted in 167 municipalities and has rehabilitated 355 homes. And the program for tourist municipalities, with more than 80 million in investment, will allow the construction of 488 public housing units, of which 101 have already been awarded or are under construction. In the three capitals there are also results: thousands of affordable homes underway in Zaragoza, new developments in Huesca and a public housing stock that is growing again in Teruel".
Rejection of the PSOE's model and defense of its own plan
The PP spokesperson insisted that Aragón will not adopt the PSOE's recipes on housing matters and described the declaration of tense areas as a failure, alluding to its application in Catalonia as an example of its unwanted effects.
According to her, in that territory, the intervention has reduced the available supply and has shifted demand towards seasonal rentals: "They promised to lower prices and the result has been less housing available. We believe that housing becomes more accessible by increasing supply, not by intervening in the market, generating legal uncertainty, or pitting owners against each other," she argued.
Cobos summarized the clash of models with the PSOE by stating that "while the PSOE promises, the PP builds; while the PSOE intervenes, the PP increases supply, and while the PSOE talks, we deliver homes." Therefore, she reiterated that the Government of Aragón will maintain its own model based on "building more public housing, rehabilitating the existing stock, collaborating with local councils and the private sector, attracting investment, and offering legal certainty," a commitment that she assured they will continue to fulfill in this legislature.