The territorial delegate for Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration in Almería, José Luis Delgado, today visited Líjar to see the «works being carried out by the Town Council with the cooperation of the Regional Ministry directed by Juan Marín», such as the reforms to the adult school or the PFEA project to fit out a municipally-owned house to be used for rural tourism. In total, the municipality has received nearly 70,000 euros from the Regional Ministry of Local Administration «for actions that generate economic activity» and infrastructures «of a social nature».
During his visit, Delgado met with the mayor, Sergio Sánchez, to «learn first-hand about the problems of an inland municipality that works daily against depopulation».
The territorial head of Local Administration has recalled that in 2021, the Regional Ministry led by Juan Marín «made available to the municipalities of Almería more than 4,600,000 euros», especially for those small local entities that are suffering a progressive loss of inhabitants, with the aim of helping them to undertake improvements in public facilities and services that increase the living conditions of the neighbours and fix the population to the territory.
In the case of Líjar, under this year’s PFEA, with a contribution from the Junta of over 30,700 euros, in addition to carrying out urban improvements and environmental work, Delgado highlighted the project being carried out by the Town Council to convert a house it owns into a rural house for the development of tourism in the municipality, which «allows employment to be generated when the work is being carried out but also in the future» with a new activity. The delegate was able to see in situ the works being carried out together with the councillor.
Both have also visited the local adult education centre, where renovations have been carried out thanks to a specific grant of 23,317 euros from the Regional Ministry directed by Juan Marín corresponding to a line of subsidies for public infrastructure in which, for the first time, criteria such as population density, population growth or the ageing index have been taken into account in order to give priority to smaller municipalities with depopulation problems. In total, 13 local entities in the province of Almería have benefited from these subsidies.
In addition, Líjar Town Council has also benefited from another line of subsidies from the Regional Ministry to strengthen public services in the face of seasonal population increases or exceptional circumstances such as the pandemic caused by COVID. Specifically, it has received 15,125 euros which has allowed the council to hire extra staff to meet the needs of the residents.
In total, this municipality has received almost 70,000 euros from the Regional Ministry of Local Administration to «work for the benefit of the citizens».
The Mayor of Líjar, acknowledged that «this aid from the Junta de Andalucía is good for us small municipalities for the works and the employment generated is very important for our neighbours». Specifically, the PFEA works this year provide work for 44 people in a town of less than 400 inhabitants.