Olhão Council has approved its 2019 Budget and plans to spend €32 million, with a focus on social housing, rubbish and upgrading the historic city centre.
As for housing, "We have an aging social housing area that is in urgent need of repair and upgrade. We have already started this but there is more to do," said Mayor António Pina.
In addition to social housing, low cost construction also is a top priority next year, "this measure will allow young couples to purchase housing at more affordable prices, which today is not possible as a result of the increase in house prices that has resulted from the high demand for property that Olhão is experiencing," said António Pina .
The budget of €31,893,790 was approved by a majority (15 votes in favour and 10 against) on November 26.
To the concern of many locals, next year’s spending includes the 'upgrading of Olhão's historic centre.'
The last time this plan was tabled, based on drawings from a firm of Lisbon architects, such was the outcry from those interested in preserving, rather than modernising, the historic centre, that the mayor retreated and tucked away the plan until quieter times.
It remains to be seen how far the Council is to go in adopting the original modernisation programme, that included the removal of many of the famous calçada streets to replaced with machine-cut block paving, changing old bracket lights to those with modern 'designer' fittings etc but when the details are released, the Council can expect robust comment if 'upgrading' is being used as a a polite word for 'modernisation.'
It’s local election year in 2019 so spending on schools is planned, in addition to more money for youth, sport and culture, social support and security with a municipal police force included in the 2019 plan.
Doing up gardens and green spaces get a mention, but not the total replacement of the mature gardens to the east of the markets as this expenditure does not come from Council funds.
As for tourism, with which the mayor is deeply involved, there are plans to create a motorhome camping ground and ‘thematic cultural routes,’ as well as improvement of the space surrounding the fishing port.
Almost as a footnote, the Council budget summary mentions improvements to the water supply network and sanitation although local hopes for an end to the raw sewage flowing daily into the Ria Formosa from underneath the city, are long forgotten.
‘Keeping the city clean,’ is almost an election banner, with the mayor concluding, “We are going to increase the inspection on the dumping of garbage and will improve the plan for solid waste collection. We have to study the placement and/or expansion of ecopoints and we need to strengthen the municipal fleet of urban waste collection vehicles."
Mayor Pina, a Socialist Party member, should coast the local election next autumn despite increasing calls for a more open style of government, better communication of the Council’s plans and a continuing barrage of legal complaints against him for various infractions, mostly involving his penchant for courting property developers.
