The Plenary Session of the Huelva City Council expressed this Friday its support for the Civil Guard for its work against drug trafficking and organized crime in the province, following the death in the line of duty of agents Germán and Jerónimo during an operation on the Huelva coast a few weeks ago.
Through two motions, promoted by the PP Government team and by Vox, the corporation has demanded more material and human resources from the central Executive, the reform of the Penal Code to toughen sentences, the review of action protocols, and the declaration of this activity as a high-risk profession. Both initiatives were approved with the favorable votes of the Government team, Vox, PSOE, and the non-attached councilor, and the abstention of the Mixed Group (Con Andalucía), as reported by the City Council in a statement.
The spokesperson for the Government team and first deputy mayor, Felipe Arias, warned that drug trafficking "has become one of the main security problems in the province as a consequence of the inaction of the central Government: the proliferation of drug-speedboats, drug landings on the coasts, shootings, and the feeling of impunity are the direct result of years of lack of investment in personnel, a penal system that leaves agents unprotected, and the dismantling of effective operations such as OCON-Sur".
The deputy spokesperson for Vox and defender of her motion, María López, expressed herself in the same vein, defining these demands as a "just claim and right," understanding that "nothing is being asked that could be objected to in these proposals."
With the support of the Government team and the abstention of the rest of the groups, the Plenary Session has given the green light to a budget modification "that will allow reinvesting more than 13 million euros from the positive surplus in improvements for the capital," which is "the result of good municipal economic management," as the City Council has emphasized.
The second deputy mayor and councilor for Economy, Francisco Muñoz, has remarked that "it is the fruit of work well done, the result of effective management that allows for the improvement of the quality of life of the people of Huelva". He insisted that "this surplus does not appear by chance, but is a consequence of a positive settlement, of orderly economic management and of a City Council that today enjoys sufficient financial health to meet new needs without jeopardizing the general balance of its accounts".
The Plenary Session has also supported the Government team's motion against the budget agreement in Catalonia, which spokesperson Felipe Arias has described as "an unjustifiable grievance against Huelva". The text criticizes "that 7.7 billion euros are allocated to investments in Catalan infrastructure in exchange for parliamentary support, while the province of Huelva accumulates historical delays in projects such as high-speed rail, the Alcolea dam or the third lane of the A-49".
The rapporteur has defended that "investment in infrastructure cannot and should not be a political bargaining chip: it must respond to objective criteria of need, social profitability, territorial cohesion and correction of historical imbalances".
Likewise, the Plenary Session has definitively approved the ordinance regulating pyrotechnics, "whose advantages have already been visible in the recent processions of the Rocío brotherhoods". Along with this regulation, the Regulation of the Local Board for Protection and the Safety and Rescue Plan for the Beach of the Marismas del Odiel Natural Park have also been validated.
Motions from the opposition
Among the opposition's initiatives, the PSOE's motion regarding the improvement of air conditioning in educational centers and the full compliance with Law 1/2020 has been approved, which had the support of all groups except the Popular Party. Unanimously, the proposal from Vox to install shaded areas in the city's playgrounds has been supported.
The initiative from the Mixed Group to promote a study on the possible implementation of a line or network of urban minibuses has also moved forward, with the favorable vote of all present.
Farewell of José Manuel Moreno and new organization
The plenary session has also been marked by the farewell of José Manuel Moreno, who is leaving his position in the corporation. The until now councilor for Citizen Security has addressed the Plenary to "thank everyone who makes up this City Council, the civil servants and technicians, the colleagues of the Government team and the mayor for her trust, for her work during these three exciting years". Moreno has indicated that he will continue "working for Huelva from another sphere" and has acknowledged that "it has been a difficult but necessary decision, but I want to make it clear that I will always be by the side of this Government team and its project".
The mayor, Pilar Miranda, has dedicated a few words of recognition "to a magnificent councilor, a great colleague and a person whom all those present admire as a professional and love as a person". She added that "you can feel very proud of your work during these three years, both with the work done in Social Services and in this last year in Citizen Security. Thank you very much for your work, your dedication, your commitment to the people of Huelva and for sharing with us every day of this intense work for Huelva".
The restructuring of the Government team will be completed with the incorporation of Antonio Jesús Rodríguez Garrido, Toni Garrido, who will take possession of his councilor's seat in the coming days. The new distribution of areas establishes that Alfonso Castro will assume the Department of Citizen Security and Presidency, while Toni Garrido will be responsible for the Department of Youth, Education and Citizen Services.