City Council allocates 7.6 million euros to social protection programs and aid to vulnerable groups

The 2026 Budget once again includes the unlimited nature of the items earmarked for the care of residents without resources, which can be expanded during the year according to needs.

The 2026 municipal budget is once again of a markedly social nature. The City Council has increased to 7.6 million euros the items destined to the programs of social protection and promotion actions, which represents 6% of the Consistory's expenditure budget for next year.

Within this global amount, the item destined to home/dependence assistance stands out, with 4.9 million Euros, the largest amount destined to this action, with the aim of providing a record coverage of some 800 people. This is a benefit granted and financed by the Junta de Andalucía and managed by the local councils, directly or indirectly, within the framework of the Dependency Law.

However, with the idea of achieving the optimization of the service and that it can cover the largest number of people, the Consistory of Estepona has been making an important additional co-financing, increasing both the technical assistance material available as well as the services, above the mandatory number established.

Aid to groups is also increased, amounting to almost one million euros, specifically 965,561 euros. This includes aid to the soup kitchen, emergency aid, family economic aid, aid to non-profit associations, habitability fund, sports aid, actions in compliance with the Animal Welfare Law or aid to young artists.

However, it is important to remember that the Budget once again has a marked social character, where the economic amounts linked to aid and social programs for the most vulnerable groups continue to be 'expandable items'; that is to say, they are unlimited and may be increased according to the needs that arise during the fiscal year.

The budget continues to support families by maintaining the policy followed in recent years of not raising taxes. On the contrary, in 2026, 6.6 million euros are again included in the budget for the reduction of the Real Estate Tax (IBI) for families registered in the municipality. This measure already applied in 2025 can be adopted, once the City Council has paid the totality of the inherited debt, and can allocate the amounts that have been destined to liquidate that debt, by reinforcing the attention to the neighbors.

The City Council also applies a 3% rebate on the garbage tax bill to residents who deposit waste at the city's clean point. In order to ensure that the new 'tasazo' imposed by the central government has the minimum impact on citizens, while complying with it, one of the measures adopted by the Consistory is to apply a 3% reduction on the full fee of the rate to those taxpayers who deposit in an authorized clean point, a minimum of three times a year, admissible waste for which there are no containers on public roads. This also contributes to recycling and environmental protection.