Former mayor Ada Colau to leave Barcelona council

The former mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, has announced that she will leave the city council in October.

The leader of Barcelona en Comú has sent a letter to party members explaining that she will not opt ​​to continue as coordinator of the group.

Colau was mayor from 2015 to 2023 and had previously been spokesperson for the housing activist group, People Affected by Mortgages (PAH). There, she become well known in the city before making the jump to politics.

She lead the city council for two terms until the Socialists' Jaume Collboni took over in 2023. 

Left-wing policies

Colau's tenure in charge of the local government was defined by left-wing policies that had public services to the benefit of citizens at the heart of them. 

Perhaps the most notable change the city saw during her time were the implementation of the 'superilles' - 'super blocks' - blocks of streets largely pedestrianized.

These blocks are seen primarily in the neighborhoods of Sant Antoni and Eixample. Not only is access for vehicles largely restricted, but more plants and greenery have been installed too, with seating and tables for people to enjoy. 

However, one of her priorities was also to increase significantly the stock of social housing and apartments available at affordable prices in the city, an objective that went unmet during her time in charge. 

According to the report 'State of housing 2021' by the Barcelona Housing Observatory, only 1.9% of the city's housing stock is dedicated to social housing rent prices, far below the European average of 9%. 

At the same time, her council targeted the rise of AirBnbs in the city and gave sanctions to owners of apartments that were left empty.  

Electoral history

In 2015, together with other left-wing actors, she promoted the Guanyem Barcelona platform, which eventually became BComú, and which received the support of parties such as the now defunct ICV or EUiA.

With this new party, she took the mayorship from Xavier Trias, from the now-defunct CiU, which has strong ties to the contemporary Junts. BComú won that election despite not expecting to, and received the support of ERC and the PSC to govern.

Colau didn't win the 2019 elections, coming second behind the ERC candidacy, but managed to govern after gathering the support of the Socialists and the votes of former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

BComú and the Socialists became more distant throughout the second legislature while working in coalition, and, after the elections, the disagreements have become more prevelant.

Although Colau's councillors facilitated the inauguration of Collboni as mayor despite Xavier Trias winning the election, BComú has not joined the current government.

Colau's future had been uncertain for months. The possibility of joining national politics and becoming a minister in Pedro Sánchez's cabinet was raised, but this never came to be.

In the end, she has taken the decision to leave municipal politics because "after eight years in the mayor's office it's good to put some distance, to get ideas and listen to other people."

The move "does not mean abandoning what I consider my political space, where I will continue to be active," she concludes.