Junts per la Seu d’Urgell Secures Council Wins on Driving Tests and Social Services
La Seu d’Urgell council unanimously backs motion for full central funding of local driving exams and approves call for more Catalan social services.
Key Points
- Unanimous motion demands DGT reimburse €25,000 for digitalizing driving exam facilities and fully fund 1,500+ annual tests.
- Motion against Catalan government's 2026 social services extension cites shortfalls in EBAS, SAD (€33/hr cost), adapted transport amid ageing Pyrenean population.
- SAD funding gap: Generalitat covers €23/hr, municipality €10; calls for increases and joint oversight.
- Debate ends with accusations of council social media censorship excluding Junts councillors.
**Junts per la Seu d’Urgell wins council backing for driving tests and social services motions**
Junts per la Seu d’Urgell gained approval for two motions at Thursday’s city council meeting in La Seu d’Urgell. The first, passed unanimously, calls on Spain’s Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) and central government to fully fund and reimburse costs for local driving exams, including nearly €25,000 spent by the council to digitalise a classroom at the Centre Empresarial i Tecnològic de l’Alt Pirineu (Cetap) to meet DGT requirements. The motion underscores the exams’ importance for residents in Alt Urgell, Cerdanya and other Pyrenean counties, citing 2024 figures of over 1,500 theoretical tests, 1,311 practical exams and 450 track assessments. Junts argued these are not municipal services, aligning with a recent Congress of Deputies resolution.
The second motion, approved over Compromís opposition, targets the Catalan government’s unilateral extension of the 2026 social services Programme Contract. It claims the funding falls short amid rising costs and social pressures, threatening services including Basic Social Attention Teams (EBAS), home care (SAD), adapted transport, youth initiatives and Child and Adolescent Attention Teams (EAIA)—particularly in dispersed mountain areas with ageing populations and staffing shortages.
Councillor Jordi Fàbrega highlighted SAD costs under county council management via Iausa: €33 per hour, with the Generalitat covering €23 and the municipality paying €10. He called for immediate funding increases, stable direct transfers and joint contract oversight, echoing county president Josefina Lladós (Junts) and local bodies.
Jordi Mas Ortega, speaking for the governing team, recognised the shortfall but noted technicians are drafting 2026-2029 contracts awaiting Generalitat budgets—a collective duty. He pointed to interim funding options, past unspent funds returned to Capau, and the Generalitat covering 80% of Alt Pirineu social services costs versus 68% in areas like Garraf.
The meeting ended with Fàbrega reiterating accusations of “censorship” and “sectarianism” on council social media, including his and councillor Carme Espuga’s exclusion from photos of a visit by councillor Ramon Espadaler and deletion of their comments.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources:
- ARA•
La minoria qüestiona el pressupost de Sant Julià per ser "poc prudent"
- El Periòdic•
La majoria aprova els comptes del 2026 mentre la minoria s’absté alertant sobre incerteses econòmiques futures
- Altaveu•
La minoria de Sant Julià carrega contra un pressupost "sense projecte" i mancat de "contenció"
- Bon Dia•
L'Ajuntament de la Seu haurà d'assumir un terç del cost del SAD, alerta Junts
- Bon Dia•
Junts per la Seu reclama a l'Estat que pagui els exàmens de conduir