Almeida does not give in with the housing crisis in Madrid: “We are going to continue with the same policy”

The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, during a plenary session of the Madrid City Council.Jesús Hellín (Europa Press)

Reyes Maroto heads towards the lectern.

The PSOE spokesperson in the Madrid City Council has asked the mayor about housing, one of the concerns of the mayor of Madrid during the last electoral campaign, but not since the beginning of the new mandate.

The regulations to regulate tourist apartments continue to be an eternal promise.

“It will be in a few months,” she announced in September.

“It will be in a few weeks,” she said a few days ago.

100 days after one year of the last elections, the socialist Maroto has criticized the mayor of Madrid on this matter:

—What do you plan to implement to solve the housing problem in Madrid?

José Luis Martínez-Almeida, comfortable in these scuffles, has been very fast:

—We are going to continue with the same policy.

Thank you so much.

The PSOE's question was a dart at one of the main problems of the capital of Spain.

The housing issue comes after a turbulent week for the popular group at City Hall.

The spokesperson, Carlos Izquierdo, who is also president of the Hortaleza district – the most populated in the capital, with 240,000 residents – published a disconcerting message on his social networks last Tuesday.

Izquierdo attached a news item from the newspaper

La Razón

:

the price of rent skyrockets in Latina and Carabanchel.

Days ago, real estate portals pointed out that #Carabanchel is the district in which housing prices are rising the most.

Now also the rental price.

Without a doubt, Carabanchel is an increasingly attractive district to live in.#CarabanchelAvanzahttps://t.co/xf2Rgw27li

— Carlos Izquierdo (@carlosizqtorres) February 20, 2024

The mayor of Almeida understood that this increase was a very positive fact for the neighbors.

“Days ago,” he wrote, “the real estate portals indicated that Carabanchel is the district in which housing prices have increased the most.

Now, also the price of rent.

Without a doubt, Carabanchel is an increasingly attractive district to live in.

#CarabanchelAvanza”.

Almeida settled the matter immediately hours later when asked by the press, perhaps just in case:

―We work to lower the price of housing.

The news of the rise in prices in Carabanchel came from the Fotocasa portal, which highlighted in its latest report in February an increase in housing in the Community of Madrid, which is already 12.8% more expensive than in January 2023. Regarding In the 21 districts of the capital, rental prices have skyrocketed in 17, with Latina (23.9%), Carabanchel (19.6%) and Arganzuela (19.6%).

The presiding councilors of Latina and Arganzuela have remained silent, for now.

Also in the plenary session this Tuesday.

Almeida has come out to the lectern to answer Maroto.

“If you didn't exist, you would have to be invented.”

And, six minutes after the start of the plenary session, the scandal of Koldo, the advisor of former minister José Luis Ábalos, who took hundreds of thousands of euros in illegal commissions in a contract to buy masks in the middle of the pandemic, has emerged.

―It's 9:22 and Ábalos still hasn't resigned.

What do you know about the

Koldosphere

?

Almeida, ironically, has continued.

“Who knows about housing is Koldo, who has increased it.”

And he has boasted of the data from the Municipal Housing and Land Company (EMVS) of Madrid, which is the main public construction company in the entire country.

In recent years the EMVS has invested 2,540 million euros in new construction and regeneration, although unevenly depending on the time.

Despite the budget decrease, the municipal company has tried to stay at the forefront.

The rain of millions that the Next Generation European funds were going to provide implied a new opportunity for the City Council.

However, Almeida declined to request tens of millions of these funds.

He alone requested 24 million from the Community of Madrid to renovate 12,000 houses out of a census of more than 1,200,000 that need renovation.

The PP, which has not wanted to enter into the opposition's fold with housing, did present this Tuesday a proposal on squatting in Madrid to "urge" the Government of Pedro Sánchez to "adopt the necessary reforms to fight crime of usurpation.”

And there has been anger, again.

The spokesperson for Más Madrid and leader of the opposition, Rita Maestre, has taken the stand with data.

In the capital of Spain you pay 2,141 euros more for a home than anywhere in Spain.

Since January 2023, the rent has skyrocketed to 1,300 euros on average.

Room rental is around 500 euros on average.

“This is the housing panorama in Madrid,” he said.

“And now let's talk about the occupation.”

In the Community of Madrid there are currently 4,000 squatted homes, according to data provided to this newspaper by the Housing Department.

That is, practically the same as four years ago.

And of these, according to Más Madrid, the housing corresponds to public housing, which depends on the Community of Madrid.

Carlos Izquierdo, the spokesperson for the PP and the councilor who a few weeks ago surprised everyone with his statements about rent, has responded to Más Madrid like this:

—Madame Maestre, you defend the terrorist organization Hamas.

And to the PSOE spokesperson, like this:

—Today was the day to talk about Koldo.

We have learned today that for three years Koldo's home was Ábalos.

And the plenary session has become angry, again.

The president of the Plenary has called Más Madrid to order:

―I am not going to allow this plenary session to be a continuation of the rest of the plenary sessions.

And the mayor, smiling, responded:

-Very good.

Very good.

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