Héctor Pons Riudavets: "The right to demand 1,200 euros of rent for an apartment is below the citizen's right to decent housing"

CiutadellaAfter eleven years as a councilor and seven as mayor of Maó, Héctor Pons Riudavets (Maó, 1990) reviews the most difficult term he has experienced so far at the City Council. In the minority and with the conditional support of his former partners from Ara Maó, the only socialist mayor in Menorca faces the remaining year of the legislature with the urgency to solve the problems plaguing the water supply and the determined objective of taking steps to facilitate access to housing for families in a context of such difficulty. But in these months, the future of the port is also being brewed.

The participatory process launched by the Port Authority proposes to pacify traffic in the port and improve its accessibility from the city. Do you agree with the City Council's opinion?

— Yes, the changes introduced in 2020 were already heading in that direction, so now all that's needed is a definitive reform to improve the aesthetics and consolidate the port model for the next 40 years. In this regard, it is essential to guarantee new connections with the city and for the port to be more flexible and adaptable to different uses throughout the year. That is to say, it should not be such a seasonal port, so that in the summer some areas are pedestrianized or respond to the need for parking. Maritime traffic is not the same in January as in July, and the loading and unloading areas that must be available in the mornings should not be there in the evenings, in order to become terraces or bicycle lanes. In winter you should be able to drive down with your car and park, and in summer, on the other hand, another mobility model should be chosen. It is the flexibility we have always asked for and on which there now seems to be a general consensus.

Other entities, such as GOB, Amics de la Mar, and Es Jonquet, are also campaigning for the port to have a more social use and with rates better adapted to the small owner.

— Yes, in fact, these groups have also participated in the consultation. Their reflection is more general, but it does not imply any disagreement with the future model that has been proposed.

Does the Port Authority share this discourse?

— The City Council understands that the direct management of moorings should have more resources, in terms of personnel and maintenance. We ask that direct management areas not be lost and that in the award criteria for private marinas, the increase in the fee not be valued as much as the rates being lower for boats under eight meters in length.

On the island of King, moorings are now to be multiplied, from 52 to 168.

— We have already communicated to the Port Authority that we will not change the special plan for Rei Island, nor will we allow fuel to be supplied in this location, because the plan does not provide for it. Nor will we facilitate the installation of water and electricity services which, in any case, must be processed with the Castell City Council. We would have liked another project that was more respectful of the special plan and the environment.

Are you close to having the port you desire, to taking advantage of your great potential?

— Progress is being made on important issues, such as the future maritime station. The objective is to improve passenger service, which is now precariously provided at a temporary station. We share the general idea of the Port Authority and are pleased that it is no longer planning expansions for large cruise ships, which have proven to no longer come to the port.

Also in the port, the Cliff Consortium has been reactivated. How has the perception that action must be taken changed after the recent landslides that have occurred in various areas of Menorca?

— The reactivation did not really start this year, but rather as a result of the fall, a year and a half ago, of a rock on the Baixamar café. It was then that the need to recover the Consortium was raised, after the staff was dismissed in 2011. The actions in this period have been carried out by the City Council alone. But with what has happened in recent months on the island, it has been demonstrated that the effect of climate change is there and action must be taken.

We are talking about water. It has been a year and a half since the Malbúger denitrification plant had to be closed, and the crisis still persists.

— The Malbúger plant is back in operation, but we continue to wait for the results to stabilize and for Health to lift the suspension.

Does Maó have enough water for this summer?

— We remain on pre-alert for drought, difficulties in the supply of the population persist, and in recent years consumption has increased. Therefore, summer is when it will be most difficult to guarantee that drinking water reaches everyone. We have requested the same support as last year to get through the summer, and there will be greater control of consumption with the installation of smart meters. Nevertheless, we face the season responsibly, asking the population to consume it responsibly. In fact, before June we expect to update the tariffs because, while 65% of people will pay less, the rest who have high consumption will have to pay for the service at its cost. The first consumption tier will be cheaper, but from the third tier, the price increase will be progressive. It seems normal to all of us to pay 100 euros a month for mobile or television platforms and 120 for the electricity bill, but some find it expensive to pay 45 euros quarterly for water. So, on the one hand, we will approve a new ordinance, and on the other, we will review the Water Management Plan and the usage regulations to limit the service to large consumers, who are not affected by us raising their tariffs. We have also approved a one-year moratorium to authorize the construction of new swimming pools, and we hope that all of this will yield results.

How does the municipality address the serious housing problem?

— We have two lines of work: protecting those who already have housing and promoting the construction of new social housing. We insist on asking for Maó to be declared a tense zone and we continue to provide support and mediate between Sareb and the citizens of the Maria Lluïsa Serra and Pasqual Calbó developments, some of whom have already bought their flats or received offers. The situation, in fact, is much better than three years ago. This also applies to new protected housing developments. We have already ceded two plots to Ibavi to build 44 and have approved another 45 in Vasallo. For some months now, we have been prioritizing licenses for multi-family buildings and for over a year we have been working on the purchase of the old Catisa plot, where, with the economic support of the Council and the Government, we will be able to develop one of the most important projects in Maó for the coming years. This way, we will finish the term having ceded land for 200 homes, although this measure will also have to be accompanied by price regulation. Increases must be reasonable, because the market price is one thing, and the defense of a constitutional right is another. And the right to ask for 1,200 euros in rent for a 70-square-meter flat, for me, is below the citizen's right to live a dignified life.

Currently, Plaça de la Constitució is under construction and there are initiatives underway in l’Esplanada and El Freginal.

— That's right, but also around Sínia Costabella, which is a large green lung. The action in Plaça de la Constitució seeks to improve accessibility and infrastructure in the center, and we hope that the first phase will be completed by Sant Joan. Regarding the Esplanada, we are working to call for the competition that will allow us to have an executive project. As for El Freginal, it is the best climatic refuge that Maó has had for 40 years and we want to provide it with services.

You are carrying out all these actions despite governing in minority for three years. What is your relationship with Ara Maó, which has allowed you to approve the budgets of these last two years?

— The relationship is good. The most important thing is that the left unites and does not separate. The PSOE has a role in this, and the rest of the parties have another. But, above all, it is important that the objective is to keep the majority together.