The Minister of Housing and Urban Agenda and head of the PSOE list for the Congress for Ciudad Real, Isabel Rodríguez, has asserted this Saturday in Alcoba de los Montes the housing measures package designed to consolidate the population in rural areas and has called on people in towns to activate their vote in the face of the risk of the “chain saw” of the PP and Vox.
Among the highlighted initiatives, she has placed the focus on direct aid of 15,000 euros for young people who decide to remain in their municipalities, on loans of up to 50,000 euros for the purchase of housing, and on grants of up to 50,000 euros intended for the rehabilitation of properties, according to what the socialists indicated in a press release.
During a regional meeting of the PSOE held this Saturday, the minister emphasized that “for the first time, the Government of Spain has made a commitment to public housing policies in rural areas.” She specified that these measures are framed within the State Housing Plan and has advanced that this very week she signed an agreement with the Government of Castilla-La Mancha, the first autonomous community, she pointed out, with which this agreement was concluded.
Rodríguez added that the 15,000-euro aid for young people will be cumulative with loans of up to 50,000 euros and indicated that support of more than 85,000 euros for developers who build permanent protected public housing is also contemplated. “The housing problem is not only one of the big cities. In our towns there is people who come to live and do not find suitable houses,” she said.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AND NATURAL HERITAGE
The socialist candidate also highlighted the investment by the central Government in boosting tourism in the region, recalling that “more than 1.8 million euros” have been allocated to sustainable tourism actions in the Cabañeros area.
She defended that the responsible use of natural heritage must serve to create jobs and new opportunities, as a complement to other traditional economic activities, including hunting. “This Government has also supported inland Spain with these sustainable tourism plans,” she stressed, emphasizing that rural development policies must go hand in hand with measures that guarantee access to housing.
THE “CHAIN SAW” OF PP AND VOX
In his address, Rodríguez has warned of the consequences that, in his view, a PP and Vox Executive would have on public services in small municipalities. “Where do you think they’re going to start with the chainsaw? Are they going to start with the local health clinics and rural schools as Cospedal already did?” he asked.
The minister has argued that the appointment with the ballot boxes presents a dilemma that goes beyond mere alternation of power, considering that the right-wing proposal implies “democratic regression, social setbacks, and cuts to the welfare state.” She has also upheld coexistence and the rights achieved in towns, referring to equality between women and men, diversity, culture, and protection against gender-based violence. “Feminism is the movement that has allowed us women to develop in freedom and on equal terms with men,” she stated.
Likewise, she has defended the role of trade unions and labor rights, emphasizing that the population in rural areas has the same right to live in freedom and to develop their life projects as those who live in large cities. In the final stretch of her address, she thanked the involvement of mayors, alderwomen, and activists from the region and called for stepping up mobilization in the two weeks prior to the general elections on 29 November.
“Here too, in towns, there is strength of progress,” he assured, with a special appeal for the participation of young people and undecided people. Rodríguez has called for a campaign centered on coexistence and optimism, evoking the words of Almudena Grandes: “Joy is a form of resistance.”
UPHOLD THE SMALL MUNICIPALITIES
The mayor of Anchuras and Socialist candidate for Congress, Santiago Martín, has defended the need for small municipalities to have a voice in state institutions. “Some people ask what an mayor of a little town like Anchuras is doing on lists for Congress of Deputies. Well, I think that’s the greatness of democracy,” he said.
Martín has warned of the risks that, in his view, a PP and Vox Government would entail for social rights and public services. He has recalled his concern during the Cospedal period about the future of the school and the medical clinics of Anchuras. "This is not about alternation. This is about them coming for all the rights that have been achieved over many years," he said, insisting that social gains can be reversed and that there is a need to protect them.
The mayor of Alcoba de los Montes, Pedro José Escudero, has thanked the attendance of neighbors and socialist representatives from the region and has expressed his support for Santiago Martín Campos as a candidate for the Congress of Deputies. In his remarks, he has questioned the proposals of PP and Vox, especially with regard to pensions and equality, and has recalled that under a Government of the Partido Popular, pensions increased by only 0.25%.
"People have very short memories, but not that long ago, and here there are pensioners who will know it, their pension went up by 0.25%," he said. Escudero has also warned that, in his opinion, an Executive of PP and Vox would mean steps backward in equality between women and men and in the fight against gender-based violence. For this reason, he has encouraged those present to get involved in the campaign and to pass on the socialist message to the entire community.