The Algarve is expected to lose about a quarter of its parishes, from the current 84 to 67, in a measure that affects 10 of the 16 municipalities, as part of the administrative reform of the territory, according to the proposal of the Technical Unit for the Administrative Reorganization of the Territory (UTRAT ), that the Sul Informação consulted.
According to that UTRA's proposal, the Algarve loses a total of 17 parishes, with the municipality that loses the most is Tavira, where there will be a reduction of three parishes, with the mergers of Santa Maria and Santiago, Conceição and Cabanas, Santo Estêvão and Luz de Tavira.
Most of the 10 municipalities affected by this reorganization lose two parishes. These are the cases of Faro (where UTRAT proposes to merge Conceição with Estoi and Sé with S. Pedro), Lagoa (Parchal + Estombar, Lagoa + Carvoeiro), Lagos (Bensafrim + Barão de S. João and São Sebastião + Santa Maria), Loulé (Querença + Tôr + Benafim) and Silves (Alcantarilha + Pera, Tunes + Algoz).
There are also four municipalities that lose a parish: Albufeira (Olhos d'Água joins Albufeira), Alcoutim (Alcoutim + Pereiro), Olhão (Moncarapacho + Fuseta) and Vila do Bispo (Vila do Bispo + Raposeira).
UTRAT respected the decisions of the AM that pronounced themselves
All the other municipalities – Aljezur, Castro Marim, Monchique, Portimão, São Brás de Alportel and Vila Real de Santo António – as they only have three or fewer parishes, will not be subject to any change.
UTRAT fully respected the proposals for the reorganization of the parishes presented by the Municipal Assembly that decided to pronounce themselves on the matter – Loulé, Albufeira and Vila do Bispo -, proposing changes themselves.
In all the other municipalities that had more than four parishes and that spoke out against reducing this number, the Technical Unit presented proposals for merger: Alcoutim, Faro, Lagoa, Lagos, Loulé, Olhão, Tavira and Silves.
The Concrete Proposal for the Administrative Reorganization of the Territory drawn up by the Technical Unit for the Administrative Reorganization of the Territory was delivered on Thursday to the Assembly of the Republic. It will be the deputies who will give the final opinion, by voting on the proposals.
PS/Algarve accuses UTRAT of insensitivity
According to the new map of parishes designed for the Algarve by UTRAT, the region will lose more than the third of parishes that the government has always said it intended to reduce across the country.
This situation has already motivated negative reactions. The PS/Algarve, in a statement, considered the UTRAT "insensitive to the arguments of the local authorities that ruled on this process considering the local reality".
The Algarve socialists also consider “that these changes do not translate into any significant savings and that they should not be carried out less than a year before the elections for local authorities, without a real consultation of those involved”. Therefore, they express "their solidarity with the struggle of mayors and populations affected by this senseless and insensitive legislation, approved in the Assembly of the Republic with the Socialist Party voting against."
In this sense, the PS/Algarve «calls on the Assembly of the Republic to suspend this process immediately, mandate the Government to carry out serious preparatory work on the municipal territorial administrative reform and promote a real national discussion on this process with the mayors elected in October 2013, taking advantage of the spirit of openness to institutional dialogue demonstrated at this stage'.
CFC repudiates the merger of parishes in Faro
Also the Municipal Movement With Faro no Coração (CFC) has already expressed its “repudiation” for the intention to extinguish the parishes of Conceição and S. Pedro.
The CFC recalls that “it has always said that it is an aberration, just as it is an aberration for the president of the Commission created in the Assembly of the Republic to say that he is against and performing this function. We are in a country upside down».
The movement led by José Vitorino stresses that «the case of Faro it is very serious, as the two parishes have historical roots, number of voters with good critical mass, well-defined activities, and many and good consolidated infrastructure (Headquarters, health, churches, schools, associations, Casa do Povo, etc.)» .
Therefore, he argues, "what is at stake is a deep blow to democracy, of which populations that are left without local mayors to defend and support them are direct victims."
The movement announces that it will not "lower its arms", defending that the path is to "resist and fight on the following fronts: Municipal Assembly, Town Hall and Parish Assemblies have to deliberate to reject the intention; Algarve deputies in the Assembly of the Republic must take a clear stand against it; the Municipality of Faro it must use all legal means to stop the attack in progress'.
ANAFRE says that the final decision is still up to the Assembly of the Republic
The president of the National Association of Parishes (ANAFRE) stressed, for his part, that the delivery of the UTRAT proposal to the parliament is “a moment that was foreseen, which does not mean anything. It is just a technical work and the decision is up to the Assembly of the Republic».
“As a whole, analyzing the process, it is one hundred parishes above what our own studies had been”, said Armando Vieira.
The president of ANAFRE reaffirmed that, for the Associação de Freguesias, this reform “only makes sense if it could be decided on locally and freely”, which is not the case.
At the national level, the proposal of the Technical Unit foresees that 1.165 parishes will be aggregated, involving changes in 230 municipalities.
Forty-eight councils were exempted from submitting proposals, as they had four or fewer parishes, but of the 278 municipalities on the continent (in the archipelagos the decision is up to the regional assemblies) only 57 delivered projects for aggregation in accordance with the law.
In the Algarve, only three of the 10 affected municipalities delivered projects for the aggregation of parishes.
Comments