The Randstad Foundation honors the Estepona City Council for promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workforce through the Municipal Parking Plan

The 1-euro-per-day parking network, in collaboration with APRONA, has been named a finalist in the 21st edition of these nationwide awards

The City Council’s initiative has so far led to the hiring of more than 40 people with some form of disability 

The Municipal Low-Cost Parking Plan promoted by the Estepona City Council has been recognized at the 21st edition of the Randstad Foundation Awards, presented nationwide, through which the foundation highlights projects and individuals that promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in the labor market. 

The municipal plan was selected as a finalist in the category of Best Inclusion Initiative in Social Organizations, Universities, and Public Administrations, in an edition featuring 150 competing proposals. These awards are a benchmark in corporate social responsibility and recognize companies, organizations, and individuals that promote inclusive work environments. 

In the case of Estepona, the initiative was recognized for its efforts to promote the normalization and integration of people with disabilities, taking another step forward in the quest to achieve equal employment opportunities. Since its launch, the municipal parking network has promoted the hiring of people with disabilities, who are responsible for operating these facilities through the Estepona Association for People with Functional Diversity (APRONA).

The awards ceremony took place yesterday at the Real Casino de Madrid.

Mayor José María García Urbano expressed his gratitude for this recognition “of an initiative of which we are especially proud: a municipal network of low-cost parking lots (1 euro during the day), through which we have promoted the employment of people with disabilities—who feel fully integrated into the labor market—and who ensure that our municipal parking lots remain open and in perfect condition 24 hours a day.”

Since 2012, the Estepona City Council has implemented a policy focused, across all areas of management, on improving citizens’ quality of life, with special attention to infrastructure, services, and social programs, with the goal of promoting the integration of vulnerable groups and people with functional diversity.

One such initiative is the successful and pioneering Employability Plan for People with Disabilities, which has achieved job placement and improved the autonomy of this group through collaboration—specifically, public facilities by the Estepona City Council in partnership with the Estepona Association for People with Functional Diversity (APRONA).

García Urbano emphasized that this award “is also a recognition of the great work carried out by APRONA. We continue working to make Estepona a better city every day, with a higher quality of life for everyone.”

Employment

Since its inception, this partnership between the Estepona City Council and APRONA for the management of municipal parking lots has led to the hiring of nearly fifty people with disabilities. The initiative began in 2017 with the hiring of four people, a number that grew to 16 by 2019. As of February 2026, and following the addition of Parking La Viña to the municipal parking network in 2025, the team of people with disabilities working at these facilities consists of a total of 43 employees. Of these, 17 are women and 26 are men.

The Estepona City Council works every day to create a better city for everyone—a city that progresses in a comprehensive and environmentally sustainable manner, in harmony with its diverse and rich social context. Therefore, receiving this recognition is a major boost to continue implementing significant projects that help reinforce the city’s commitment to the values of equality, solidarity, and social well-being in all its urban manifestations.