The Socialist Municipal Group of Castellón held a review on Monday of the three years of Begoña Carrasco's (PP) government at the helm of the City Council, stating that the executive formed by PP and Vox has failed to meet many of its electoral commitments and has not responded to some of the city's main problems.
The press conference took place on Enmedio street, to highlight the closure of downtown businesses. According to the socialists, when the PP was in opposition, they blamed the PSOE for these issues, and now, despite the same problems occurring, the PP and Vox government attributes them to specific circumstances in purchasing habits.
The socialist spokesperson in the council, Patricia Puerta, and the regional deputy and deputy spokesperson for the PSPV in Les Corts, Rafa Simó, presented their assessment of the term, coinciding with the third anniversary of Carrasco's arrival as mayor.
According to Puerta, three years is sufficient time to evaluate municipal management and verify if promises made at the start of the legislature have been fulfilled. The socialist leader stated that the mayor focuses her discourse on future announcements, while problems related to housing, cleaning, mobility, neighborhood maintenance, and the local commerce situation persist.
One of the most questioned aspects has been housing policy. Puerta pointed out that access to housing has become the main citizen concern and considered the measures promoted by the local government insufficient. Rafa Simó advocated for greater public intervention to increase the supply of affordable housing and called for transparency in the allocation processes of protected housing developed on public land. Simó also highlighted that the increase in housing prices requires more ambitious actions from public administrations.
The socialist representatives cited several issues as examples of deficient management: the processing of the waste plant planned on the Alcora road, the promotional campaign linked to the Magdalena song withdrawn due to plagiarism allegations, the organization of large events on the beaches, or the situation of the Municipal Band. Puerta also criticized the lack of investment in some neighborhoods and educational centers, and denounced cleaning and maintenance problems.
Puerta accused the mayor of allowing Vox to set part of the local political agenda and censured the lack of correction for certain statements made by representatives of that party, considering that this has conditioned the government's actions.
For his part, Rafa Simó defended the role of the General Plan approved in the previous term, noting that many current urban development projects are based on that document. He also reproached Carrasco for an alleged lack of demands to the Generalitat Valenciana on issues such as conservatories, educational infrastructure, or the General Hospital, stating that the mayor prioritizes party interests.
Patricia Puerta assured that the Socialist Municipal Group will continue to exercise a "firm, responsible, and useful" opposition, highlighting that the party has presented over 1,500 plenary initiatives and more than a hundred amendments to the budgets. She also recalled the housing pact proposal made by the socialists to the government team last year, an initiative that, she noted, did not receive a positive response.
