Héctor Pons Riudavets: The right to ask for 1,200 euros in rent for an apartment is below the citizen's right to dignified 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 faced so far in the City Council. In 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 that drag down 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 cooked.

The participatory process launched by the Port Authority proposes to pacify transit in the port and improve its accessibility from the city. Does it align with the City Council's opinion?

— Yes, the changes introduced in 2020 were already heading in this direction, so now all that remains is to carry out a definitive reform that improves the aesthetics and consolidates the port model for the next 40 years. In this regard, it is essential to guarantee new connections with the city and that the port is more flexible and can adapt to different uses throughout the year. That is to say, that it is not such a seasonal port, so that in summer some areas are pedestrian 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 in the afternoons, in order to become terraces or bicycle lanes. In winter you should be able to get out of 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, Amigos del Mar and Es Jonquet, are also campaigning for the port to have a more social use and with rates more 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 discrepancy with the future model that has been proposed.

Does the Port Authority share this speech?

— 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 lower rates for boats under eight meters in length.

On King's Island, 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 Isla del Rey, nor will we allow fuel to be supplied in this location, because the plan does not foresee it. We will not facilitate the installation of water and electricity services either, 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 opportunity you desire, to leverage your great potentials?

— Progress is being made on important issues, such as the future maritime station. The objective is to improve passenger service, which is currently provided precariously at a temporary station. We share the general idea of the Port Authority and are pleased that it no longer plans expansions for large cruise ships, which have been shown 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 latest landslides that have occurred in various areas of Menorca?

— The reactivation did not really start this year, but rather began following the fall, a year and a half ago, of a rock onto the Baixamar café. It was then that the need to revive the Consortium was raised, after the staff had been laid off in 2011. The actions during this period have been carried out by the City Council alone. But what has happened on the island in recent months has shown that the effect of climate change is real and action must be taken.

Let's talk about water. It's been a year and a half since the Malbúger denitrifying 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 Mahón have enough water for this summer?

— We continue on pre-alert for drought, difficulties in supplying the population remain, and consumption has increased in recent years. So 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. Even so, we face the season with responsibility and asking the population to consume 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 indeed have to pay for the service at the cost it entails. 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 phones or television platforms and 120 for the electricity bill, but some people think it's 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 face the serious housing problem?

— We have two lines of work: protecting those who already have housing and promoting the construction of new social housing units. We insist on requesting that Mahón be declared a tense area 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 units 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 financial support of the Consell and the Govern, we will be able to develop one of the most important projects in Mahón for the coming years. This way, we will end the term having ceded land for 200 homes, although this measure will also have to be accompanied by a regulation of prices. Increases must be reasonable, because one thing is the market price and another is the defense of a constitutional right. 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 with dignity.

You currently have the Plaza de la Constitución under construction and there are initiatives underway in La Explanada and El Freginal.

— That's right, but also in the surroundings of Sínia Costabella, which is a large green lung. The action in Plaça de la Constitució busca to improve accessibility and infrastructure in the center, and we hope that the first phase will be finished for San Juan. As for the Explanada, we are working to call the competition that will allow us to have an executive project. Regarding Freginal, it is the best climatic refuge that Mahón has had for 40 years, and we want to provide it with services.

All these actions are carried out 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 comes together and does not separate. The PSOE has a role and the rest of the formations, another. But, above all, it is important that the objective is to keep the majority together.