€3.8bn Barcelona budget approved automatically after council deadlock

Barcelona City Council's 2024 budget of €3.8 billion was automatically approved on Thursday. 

The governing Socialists had reached a deal with Esquerra Republicana (ERC), but that alone was not enough to see them approved by the council in March. 

Mayor Jaume Collboni then submitted himself to a motion of confidence, which failed, but, as the opposition could not agree on an alternative candidate for mayor who the support of the majority of councilors, the accounts have now been automatically approved.

The €3.8 billion budget is 5.9% bigger than in 2023 and foresees investments worth €777 million.  

Among those investments are €153 million for public housing, €30m for the city's neighborhoods plan, €30m for maintenance of public spaces, and another €30m for emergency accommodation and policies against inequality.

"The new budget means a direct investment of more than €900 million in the city and will create 10,000 jobs directly in Barcelona," Jaume Collboni, Barcelona mayor, said.

A total of €8m is allocated for the reform of the city's famous La Rambla boulevard, and €6m to carry out the second phase of covering the Ronda de Dalt ring road. 

More parties in city government  

The Socialist mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, told Catalunya Ràdio on Thursday morning that it would be "optimal" to expand the city council's government before the summer to include other parties, but did not specify which ones. 

The budget was agreed with ERC, with whom there is "a shared space," Collboni said, but this "doesn't necessarily mean anything," when it comes to the council government.