Olhão wants to assume in 2019 all the powers decentralized by the Government

The Chamber of Olhão intends to assume in 2019 all the powers that the Government decided to decentralize.

The municipality guarantees that it is prepared "to fully assume, this year, the new attributions provided for in the framework law for the transfer of competences to local authorities and to inter-municipal entities".

This new framework law was approved in August and regulated by diplomas that were approved by the Council of Ministers, over the course of about two months, from September 13th. At issue is the transfer of responsibilities in areas such as health, education, culture, civil protection and proximity policing, among others.

Some of the diplomas were expected to be more controversial, namely the one that established competences in the health sector, since the Chambers will become responsible for the maintenance, conservation and equipment of the Health Centers - which was the last to be approved.

Before, it had been on the table the Education and Culture, with the transfer of all schools, including secondary ones, to the municipalities.

In the previous weeks, diplomas were approved relating to the most diverse areas, from the justice and proximity policing à animal health and food safetypassing through roads and public real estate assets and by competences in terms of parking and fines for minor infractions.

Although the list of attributions to be transferred is extensive, Olhão is not afraid to assume them all, from now on, when it would only be obliged to do so in the autumn of 2021.

This is because the mayor of Olhão considers that this new reality “represents a positive leap in the effectiveness of the management of the territory and services”.

This set of attributions, believes António Pina, «comes to endow the local government structures with more autonomy, which allows a more efficient management of resources, both human and property, in a logic of governance that is increasingly closer to the populations, therefore, more aware of local needs'.

"Any step taken towards intelligent and effective decentralization is always positive, as it gives decision-making power and resource management to those who work more closely with people and know the reality of the territory at a local level", concluded the President of the Chamber of Olhão.