In today's plenary session of the Consell de Formentera, Lorena Alemany Cañamás was sworn in as the Gent per Formentera replacement of Susana Labrador. With only two months left in the legislature, Councillor Alemany will not have a portfolio, performing her functions exclusively in the remaining plenary sessions without remuneration. Susana Labrador's respective portfolios of education and culture were assumed by Alejandra Ferrer, vice-president and tourism councillor, and Vanessa Parellada, youth affairs, new technologies and citizen participation councillor. Labrador also occupied the second vice-presidency of the Consell de Formentera, a charge now held by Rafael González, territory and mobility councillor.
The day's session secured definitive approval for a tax ordinance setting fees for formentera.eco, the project which regulates motor vehicles brought to, driven and parked on Formentera. The approval will be sent to the BOIB and take force on publication. As agreed by the Consell d'Entitats, motorists will pay €6/day (€30 minimum) for cars, and €3/day (minimum €15) for motorcycles. To date, formentera.eco users have paid the 2022 rate of €3/day (minimum €15) for passenger cars and €1.50/day (minimum €7.50) for motorcycles. The new regulatory period runs 1 June to 30 September 2023.
Sanitation in Es Ca Marí and Sa Roqueta urbanisation
"Yes" votes from the cabinet overcame the abstention of the opposition to grant final approval to modification number 6 of the Island Territorial Plan, providing sanitation to the neighbourhood of Es Ca Marí. With this modification, the Consell obtains publicly owned land for a pumping system to provide this area with a sewage network.
The GxF-PSOE cabinet once again overcame abstention by representatives of Sa Unió to adopt four land transfer agreements in the tourist area of Sa Roqueta. On this land, urban development works will mean new roads and service provision in the area.
Rafael González, second vice-president and territory councillor, explained that "with these steps in urban planning, everything is in place to put these important improvements in motion in both Es Ca Marí and Sa Roqueta". He added that both projects have already been drafted and received budgetary allocations. Work will begin after the summer season in November.
ACAF-Ràdio Illa
Plenary members came together to back the regulatory terms for concerted action with the Cultural and Audiovisual Association of Formentera (ACAF), the non-profit entity which manages Formentera's public radio station, Ràdio Illa. The move will promote production of Ràdio Illa content, essential to providing the public audiovisual communication service on Formentera. Vanessa Parellada, culture councillor, underscored "the formidable work delivering quality content and assuring public local radio by and for islanders" and praised ACAF and Ràdio Illa staff for their commitment to "continue covering the current affairs, culture, and traditions of Formentera and accommodating diverse voices and the most underserved".
Residence
Members of the plenary united again to endorse the internal regulations of the Formentera Residence and Day Care Centre for the Elderly. According to Rafael Ramírez, social welfare councillor, multi-phase implementation of the Residence is "on schedule, and nearly all the places will be complete in May".
Roadmap for sustainable energy policy
With votes in favour from the cabinet and abstention from the opposition, plenary members passed the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan, which Antoni Tur, environment councillor, described as "the roadmap for sustainable energy policies until 2030" and "a series of measures to achieve European targets for the energy transition". The councillor praised "the excellent work of Consell de Formentera department chiefs who worked to prepare" the more than 600-page document, which envisions involving the administration and islanders alike in applying various cross-cutting actions in areas like local energy production, private and commercial transport, local industry and waste management.
Cooperativa del Camp
GxF-PSOE councillors again overcame Sa Unió abstention to adopt a proposed agreement for concerted action with Formentera's Cooperativa del Camp. This year aid will be increased from €130,000 in 2022 to €150,000 in 2023. "Since the start of this legislature we have supported the Cooperativa del Camp as a driving force of the island's primary sector", said the rural affairs councillor, "today we continue to increase the allocation because they have increased their activity, and to alleviate rising general costs which affect them too". The councillor praised the Cooperativa del Camp for their work to preserve the island's countryside and traditional image, create a circular economy, promote locally sourced products, and help protect the environment.
Archaeology
Plenary members struck unity on a modification of the Consell de Formentera archaeology commission's rules of operations, which, according to Raquel Guasch, heritage councillor, "will streamline steps and improve the service we offer, thanks also to the fact that this legislature we have bolstered the Office of Heritage by adding a new department chief".
Finally, cross-party support was received by a Sa Unió proposal to instal a new drinking water loading point for tanker trucks in La Mola.
31 March 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera
The Consell de Formentera fire brigade have taken to local schools to develop efforts to prevent emergencies, particularly fires. The preventive training includes visits by kindergarten and primary pupils to the fire station, review of schools' self-protection plans, fire drills in schools and trainings –for pupils at Marc Ferrer Secondary School and for teachers at both the primary and secondary level– to improve emergency response.
Today in the Balearic parliament, Ana Juan, president of the Consell de Formentera, and Bartomeu Escandell, finance and tax office councillor, attended the reading of a manifesto urging the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Spanish legislative branch, to fast-track steps to ensure a senator for Formentera. As President Juan put it, "this manifesto is a reaffirmation of the request made by Formentera and the Balearic parliament to redress a dysfunction in the Spanish Constitution so that the voice of Formentera is directly represented in the Senate". Juan lamented VOX representatives' blocking of an official proclamation which would have been read in the final parliamentary plenary session of the legislative term.
Today Ana Juan, president of the Consell de Formentera, and Juan Manuel Costa Escanellas, local delegate to the Chamber of Commerce, signed a collaboration agreement under which the Consell will provide €10,000 to promote commercial training, market research and communication on the island.
