The city council undertakes to follow the advice of Competition and adapt the specifications of the award to avoid new litigation
The Barcelona’s town hall will change the next Concession contests for beach bars of the city after the complaint that has led a judge to open an investigation for a presumed favored treatment in the award of this year. The municipal government has recognized in the Ecology and Urbanism Commission that will improve the next specifications “so that this situation does not repeat itself & rdquor;said the Ecology Commissioner, Frederic Ximeno, to questions from the PP.
The Gremi de Restauració de Barcelona took the case to court after receiving no response through the Ethics Mailbox of the consistory. The employers of the hotel industry of the city points out that the winner of the Nova Icària beach premises was able to access “privileged” information., which presumably allowed him to set up the beach bar before depositing the amount set in the call. The complaint is directed against the manager of the Municipal Institute of Parks and Gardens, Francesc Jiménez Gusi, for an alleged crime of prevarication.
Ximeno has underlined that the report of the Catalan Competence Authority (ACCO) that detects anomalies in the concession indicates that the procedure could have incurred in a possible infraction of being subject to the law of public contracts. The municipal office has stressed that this is not the case because it is a concession of occupation of public space.
In any case, Ximeno has indicated that, “by instructions from Parcs i Jardins”, the recommendations of the ACCO will be taken into account to avoid future litigation. “It is an award that is always a source of problems when it shouldn’t be”has considered the PP councilor Óscar Ramírez.
Accelerate the reform of La Rambla
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On the other hand, the majority of the city council parties have voted in favor of reducing the reform of La Rambla to a maximum of four years. The proposal, presented by Junts, advocates that the planning of the works be modified, to cut the remodeling phases from five to three and reduce the deadlines for completing the works from eight to four years.
The postconvergents have gathered the support of all the opposition. Apart Junts, ERC, Cs, PP and Valents have provided their support for the petition to be ratified. The municipal government has opted for the blank vote, although councilor Eloi Badia (Barcelona en Comú) has said that he granted a “positive abstention & rdquor ;. The mayor has trusted that the parties will be “capable of reaching agreements to seek the budget to advance the calendars & rdquor; of the works of the main promenade in Barcelona. Works will begin on October 3, more than six years after approval.