The ordinary session of the month of April has begun, today Tuesday, the 1st, with a minute of silence in memory of the five deceased in the Cerredo mine accident (Degaña), which was joined by the entire Corporation and the attending public. After the approval of the minutes of previous sessions, the first item on the agenda was the Budget Modification file through Credit Supplements No. 1 and Extraordinary Credits No. 1 to the Municipal Budget of 2025, financed with Treasury Remnants for General Expenses and with Cancellations by Annulment. The councilor of the Economy, Digital Transformation and Social Policies area, Leticia González, has stated that «the Oviedo City Council has a margin of more than 20 million euros and yet we would still comply with the Spending Rule.» She also requested the municipal group to «stop lying and interpret the municipal reports better because I believe they do not have the capacity to understand them (…) The City Council, members of the PSOE, manages 172 contracts so I would ask you to stop deceiving the people of Oviedo». The First Deputy Mayor, councilor Mario Arias, invited the socialists «to reduce the replacement rate». This point was approved with 16 votes in favor of the Popular Party councilors and those of IU-Convocatoria por Oviedo. The two VOX councilors voted against and the socialist municipal group and the non-affiliated councilors abstained.
The Economic and Financial Plan of the Oviedo City Council formulated for compliance with the Spending Rule for the years 2025 and 2026 was the next item on the agenda. It was presented by the councilor of the area, Leticia González, who specified that «the spending rule is breached due to the excellent budget execution, the highest in recent years: 8 million euros more that the City Council has made available to the people of Oviedo with works such as the entrance to Oviedo, the Sports Palace… very powerful investments. The fact that there is a very high execution rate penalizes and that is what causes a breach of 2.2 million for a budget of 274». After a recess, in which the municipal Corporation joined the minute of silence for the five fatal victims of the Degaña mine, called by the General Assembly of the Principality, the session continued with the intervention of the councilor of IU-Convocatoria por Oviedo, Alejandro Suárez on the Economic and Financial Plan. The councilor for Economy, Digital Transformation, and Social Policies concluded on this matter: «We will continue working and focused on consolidating Oviedo as the best city in the world. You, gentlemen of the PSOE, along with VOX, have become the new front of NO because you do not want Oviedo». As a result of the interventions, the councilor wanted to congratulate «the technicians of the area for their work to scrupulously comply with what the law establishes and contribute to making Oviedo the best city in the world, in addition to my colleagues for their work in the different areas. This point was approved by 17 votes in favor (of the PP councilors and IU-Convocatoria por Oviedo and the non-affiliated councilor); six abstentions from the socialists and two votes against from the VOX councilors.
The Final Approval of the Detail Study of block 6 of plot 2 of the Special Plan of Manjoya-Santiago was the next item on the agenda. Councilor Nacho Cuesta indicated that «with this operation, together with three others that are already being developed and that will allow for 360 new homes in this area, the commitment of this government team to the recovery of this area will be a reality throughout this term, hand in hand with intense public-private collaboration.» Unanimity on this point.
Proposals from political groups
The first of the proposals was presented by the municipal group of IU-Convocatoria por Oviedo and related to supporting the government team to promote dialogue with Real Oviedo S.A.D., in order to achieve the best possible location for the Real Oviedo Sports City in the municipal area of Oviedo. Their spokesperson, Gaspar Llamazares, argued: «We see a competition between municipalities in our area and we believe that controversy, public noise, and bidding down are a risk. That is why we must emphasize the line of the people of Oviedo who, for historical reasons, believe that the most appropriate thing is for the sports city to be in the municipality of Oviedo.» The councilor for Urban Planning, Nacho Cuesta, argued: «Full respect for the decision of Real Oviedo and maximum collaboration are the premises that have guided our actions. At no time has Real Oviedo expressed interest in building the new sports city in El Asturcón.» This proposal was approved by 17 votes in favor (PP, IU-Convocatoria por Oviedo, and non-affiliated councilor).
Urgent proposals
After voting unanimously for urgency, the spokesperson for IU-Convocatoria por Oviedo, Gaspar Llamazares, presented the first in defense of the University of Oviedo. It was rejected.
The next one was an urgent proposal from the VOX municipal group regarding the creation of an office to support and help pregnant women. It was rejected.
The third, from the Popular Party municipal group, was related to the works on the A-63. El plenario ha aprobado la Declaración institucional con motivo del 8 de abril y de los 600 años de presencia del pueblo gitano en la península ibérica, con la excepción de los votos en contra del PSOE e IU-Convocatoria por Oviedo, que se abstuvieron. La proposición de urgencia del grupo municipal socialista sobre la Fábrica de Gas no ha salido adelante.
Desde hace seis siglos, el pueblo gitano ha estado presente en la península ibérica, contribuyendo a la cultura española con su arte, léxico, gastronomía y oficios. A pesar de esto, el desconocimiento de su diversidad, identidad, historia y cultura ha llevado a la discriminación y rechazo antigitano. Por lo tanto, es crucial incluir la historia y cultura gitana en el currículo educativo para combatir los estereotipos negativos.
En el 600º aniversario y el Día Internacional del Pueblo Gitano, se hace un llamado a las autoridades educativas y la comunidad educativa a incorporar la historia y cultura gitana en el currículo. Además, se insta a tomar medidas contra la pobreza, la discriminación y el discurso de odio hacia el pueblo gitano para avanzar en la igualdad y el reconocimiento.
Es necesario un compromiso firme para mejorar las condiciones de vida del pueblo gitano, combatir la segregación, erradicar la pobreza y la discriminación, y promover su patrimonio cultural. En este sentido, se requieren inversiones y políticas públicas más ambiciosas para asegurar un futuro digno para el pueblo gitano. La concejala de Economía, Transformación Digital y Políticas sociales ha reiterado su compromiso de seguir trabajando para consolidar a Oviedo como la mejor ciudad del mundo, criticando al PSOE y VOX por convertirse en un frente del NO y no querer lo mejor para la ciudad. Agradeció el trabajo de los técnicos y sus compañeros por contribuir a este objetivo. La aprobación del Estudio de Detalle de la manzana 6 de la parcela 2 del Plan Especial de la Manjoya-Santiago fue un punto destacado, con el concejal Nacho Cuesta resaltando la colaboración público-privada para la recuperación de la zona. También se discutieron proposiciones de los grupos políticos, como la de IU-Convocatoria por Oviedo sobre la ubicación de la Ciudad Deportiva del Real Oviedo, que fue respaldada. En cuanto a las proposiciones de urgencia, algunas fueron rechazadas, como la de VOX sobre una oficina de apoyo a la mujer embarazada. Se aprobó una proposición del grupo municipal popular sobre las obras de la A-63. Finalmente, se ratificó una Declaración institucional con motivo del 8 de abril y los 600 años de presencia del pueblo gitano en la península ibérica, destacando la importancia de reconocer su historia y cultura y trabajar por su igualdad y dignidad. Se requieren inversiones y políticas públicas más ambiciosas y sostenidas para que las personas puedan acceder a un empleo digno, combatir el fracaso escolar y la segregación, y erradicar el chabolismo. Es crucial también un mayor compromiso en la lucha contra el antigitanismo, así como respuestas institucionales y jurídicas firmes ante los casos de discriminación y discurso de odio.
El Plan Económico Financiero del Ayuntamiento de Oviedo, diseñado para cumplir con la Regla de Gasto en los ejercicios 2025 y 2026, ha sido un punto destacado en el pleno ordinario del mes de abril. La concejala del área, Leticia González, ha resaltado que el incumplimiento de la regla de gasto se debe a una ejecución presupuestaria excelente, con una inversión significativa en obras para beneficio de los ciudadanos. Tras una pausa en la sesión para honrar a las víctimas del accidente en la mina de Cerredo, se ha continuado con la discusión del Plan Económico Financiero, donde se ha reiterado el compromiso de trabajar para consolidar a Oviedo como la mejor ciudad del mundo.
La aprobación definitiva del Estudio de Detalle de la manzana 6 de la parcela 2 del Plan Especial de la Manjoya-Santiago ha sido otro punto relevante en la agenda del pleno. El concejal Nacho Cuesta ha destacado que esta operación, junto con otras en desarrollo, permitirá la construcción de 360 nuevas viviendas en el área, demostrando el compromiso del gobierno local con la recuperación de la zona.
En cuanto a las proposiciones de los grupos políticos, se ha presentado una relacionada con el respaldo al diálogo con el Real Oviedo S.A.D. para encontrar la mejor ubicación para la Ciudad Deportiva del club en Oviedo. La unanimidad ha prevalecido en este tema, subrayando la importancia de la colaboración entre el municipio y el club.
Finalmente, se han abordado proposiciones de urgencia, entre las que destaca la defensa de la Universidad de Oviedo, presentada por el grupo de IU-Convocatoria por Oviedo. It has been rejected.
The following was an urgent proposal from the VOX municipal group regarding the creation of an office to support and help pregnant women. It has been rejected.
The third proposal, from the Popular municipal group, was related to the works on the A-63 highway. This was approved with the votes in favor of the council, except for the PSOE and IU-Convocatoria por Oviedo who abstained.
The urgent proposal from the Socialist municipal group regarding the Gas Factory did not go through.
Institutional Declaration
The council has ratified the Institutional Declaration on the occasion of April 8th and the commemoration of the 600 years of presence of the Romani people in the Iberian Peninsula, as recorded through a document attesting that on January 12, 1425, Alfonso V, King of Aragon granted Juan, Count of Lesser Egypt, a safe-conduct allowing him to travel freely on his pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
Since then, the Romani people have been present in the Iberian Peninsula, contributing their rich artistic expression, their vocabulary, gastronomy, trades… It is impossible to imagine Spanish culture without the Romani component being part of it. The configuration of the nation and the Spanish identity over the centuries has also been unequivocally built with elements contributed by the Romani people.
Despite six centuries having passed and the Romani people being an essential part of the cultural melting pot that shapes Spanish society, the profound lack of knowledge about the Romani people, their diversity, identity, shared history and culture, are at the root of anti-Romani rejection and discrimination. The knowledge about the Romani people is still based on generalizations, prejudices, or negative stereotypes, largely due to the absence of Romani history and culture from the educational curriculum and classrooms.
After centuries of persecution, invisibility or assimilation attempts, the Romani people deserve recognition for their role in building this country and for their history and culture to be valued. It is time to do justice to the Romani people and restore their dignity.
With the approval of the Constitution and the establishment of democracy, the Romani people have been achieving levels of equality and improving their living conditions. However, there are still many pending challenges: Romani men and women are poorer, have a much lower educational level than the average which conditions their future, bear the burden of a negative social image, suffer more discrimination, especially women, and are systematically excluded from the public sphere and positions of power.
On the occasion of this 600th anniversary and the celebration of April 8th, International Romani Day, we join in the commitment of public authorities to advance in equality and recognition of the Romani people, a recognition that involves preserving and promoting their cultural heritage: their history and culture, as well as symbols of identity. For this reason, we join in calling on educational authorities, schools, publishers, and members of the educational community for a firm commitment to the effective incorporation of Romani history and culture into the educational curriculum.
To progress in equality, a determined response is needed against poverty and structural inequality that hinder the social progress of the Romani people. This requires more ambitious and sustained investments and public policies that allow them to access decent employment, combat school failure and segregation, or eradicate slums. A greater commitment against anti-Romani sentiment is also essential, with strong institutional and legal responses to cases of discrimination and hate speech.