Aid packages for Alicante
Provincial government prepares to aid town halls and associations
THE PROVINCIAL government’s plan of investments and finance for infrastructures from 2020 to 2023 is almost ready to be unveiled to local mayors and councillors.
It will be presented to them on March 6 and is due to receive its final approval at a full meeting on March 18 so that it can come into effect in April.
Deputy for infrastructures Javier Gutiérrez and provincial government spokesman Adrián Ballester of the Partido Popular (PP) showed the document to opposition party spokespeople on Monday.
Sr Gutiérrez said there had been a good atmosphere for dialogue about what is the institution’s largest allocation of spending for this legislature.
“We want the maximum consensus possible to approve a proposal that is designed to benefit municipalities in Alicante province, simplify bureaucracy and apply objective criteria for sharing out aid,” he said.
Aid for town halls and associations
In the meantime, the provincial government has approved the conditions for town halls and associations to apply for aid to put on social or entertainment activities.
Specifically, there is over €730,000 towards projects for accessibility, coeducation, equality and public awareness campaigns that will ‘improve people’s lives, especially those who need it most, and help to build a more just and egalitarian society’, explained social services deputy María Carmen Jover.
This includes a total of €200,000 for town halls of municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants, which councils have 20 days to apply for.
Not for profit associations and organisations can apply for grants of up to €6,000 each from a total fund of €380,000 to put on activities of a social or healthcare nature that involve training, therapy and/or rehabilitation, or public awareness. The aid must go to the members and personnel of these associations or those affected and their families.
There is also €52,000 to collaborate with parents’ associations of infant, primary and secondary schools, which can receive up to €1,500 each towards coeducation projects to promote gender equality to pupils. These can include breaking down traditional roles and stereotypes, empowering girls, promoting new ideas of masculinity, preventing gender violence or pacific resolution of conflicts, amongst other objectives.
Finally, there is another €98,593 for organisations to put on activities that promote equal opportunities and/ or prevent gender violence.
Furthermore, the provincial government has allocated €370,000 for town halls and local organisations to develop and promote musical and theatrical cultural activities.
Municipalities can apply to put on theatrical productions for adults or children (including puppet shows and story telling), dance, ballet, classical Spanish dance and flamenco, or cinema, as well as performances of opera and choirs, classical music, folk, traditional and jazz.
This is 21% more than last year and is ‘intended to ensure that culture reaches every corner of the province by helping local authorities and not for profit associations to develop proposals of interest for the public’, explained deputy for culture Julia Parra.