Police officer in Palma, Mallorca

Enforcing cleanliness regulations is an issue for the town hall. | Emaya

Andrew EdePalma24/09/2023 14:18
TW
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On Monday, Jaime Martínez will have been the mayor of Palma for 100 days. The one-time Balearic tourism minister says that the time has flown by; it has been a very intensive period. Yet it was one that started discouragingly at the first council meeting. Martínez's party, the Partido Popular, has to rely on the support of Vox. At that first meeting, Vox voted with the opposition and so prevented approval of what should have been no more than straightforward town hall housekeeping. Differences between the two parties now appear to have been resolved.

Otherwise, the first 100 days have been characterised by, for example, urgent intervention in street cleaning and citizen security. His first meeting was with the police. "I wanted to show support for the police force, which needs it so much". Without stating this, Martínez is alluding to corruption charges surrounding the Cursach case. The trial of the BCM owner, Bartolomé Cursach, and others collapsed in November last year.

The mayor explains that his administration has drawn up a map of hot spots for noise, illegal street selling, scooters, squatting, crime and street drinking. The intention has been the application of immediate measures. There have been special operations in Camp Redó, Pere Garau and Santa Catalina. "We hope to have 300 more officers, of whom 100 will join at the end of the year." There are more security cameras as well as drones to support police actions.

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Cleaning, he says, has involved the most rapid and most intense activity - washing down the streets and emptying litter bins up to four times a day. The urgent cleaning plan is for all 84 Palma neighbourhoods and will take three months. "The aim is for Palma to cease being the dirtiest city in the country."

As for mobility, Martínez explains that his team discovered that eighty out of 240 buses were off the road. This has needed to be addressed. Another issue is to see how the Paseo Marítimo project can be improved so as to include underground parking and improved park and ride facilities. There is to be a meeting with the Balearic Ports Authority to discuss this.

Housing was a major issue at the election in May. The mayor insists that it will not be reliant on the general urban plan drafted by the previous administration. "It was half-baked." A new manager of Palma's housing trust is about to be appointed, and the mayor is committed to establishing an office to promote investment in accordance with the government's housing decree as well as the use of empty properties. There will also be a holiday rentals office to encourage owners through tax incentives and guarantees to switch to long-term residential renting.