PS and PSD in Lisbon exchange housing accusations

PS and PSD in Lisbon’s municipal assembly on Tuesday exchanged accusations that they “do not and do not allow this” in regards to housing in the city, with the Social Democrats lamenting the leadership of the Municipal Housing Charter proposal.

“In the absence of a structural and real plan for an initiative on the part of the executive to respond to the thousands of students arriving in Lisbon, we also see, to our surprise, the inability of this executive to continue the policies agreed by the previous municipal executive,” said PS MP Duarte Marsal , criticizing the inaction of the PSD/CDS-PP leadership in the implementation of the Manuel da Maya University Residence project, which provides for the provision of 325 beds.

The socialist spoke as part of an evaluation of the PAN recommendation for the student housing network – Lisboa Intergeracional, which was approved, including when the PS voted in favor, given that “this is actually part of the answer to housing, as a problem for young people as a problem for older people, because the city Lisbon really needs everyone.”

“They don’t do it, they don’t allow it to be done. They don’t build, they don’t let others build,” Duarte Marsal complained to select members of the Novos Tempos (PSD/CDS) coalition. -PP/MPT/PPM/Aliança) in the House and the Assembly, given that they have an “adagio” to indicate to the government the shortcomings in terms of the municipal response to the problem of the inhabitants of Lisbon.

The PS MP also said that those elected from the Novos Tempos coalition are “using victimization tactics, blaming the opposition, the government and anyone but themselves for failing to respond to the problems of the people of Lisbon.”

In response, SDP group leader Louis Newton said he was “amazed” by the PS’s intervention: “The Socialist Party, which really doesn’t do it and doesn’t allow it, hasn’t done it for 14 years and now doesn’t let it happen, wants to come and give lessons on housing policy.

“I’m beginning to suspect that there are two PSs, one PS in the ward and one PS in the city assembly, who would like the PS in the ward to work differently,” the Social Democrat pointed out, meaning that the strategic positioning of both ” has nothing in common.”

Louis Newton emphasized that “the Socialist Party has blocked the blocks in the municipal chambers, even does not allow the population to speak,” referring to the leadership with a proposal to submit to public consultation the draft of the Municipal Housing Charter, which received votes against from PS.

“We know why you didn’t want the people of Lisbon to comment on the Housing Charter: they were really concerned that the people of Lisbon would enthusiastically accept the Housing Charter proposed by Carlos Moedas (PSD) to the city of Lisbon,” he said.

The Social Democrat warned the PS that the PSD will not give up and will do everything to get what it wants: “Even if it takes an absolute majority in 2025 to explain to you that the beaten path is the fair and right path for the city of Lisbon.”

Rejecting the blockade charge, Duarte Marsal pointed out that the socialist government had delivered 2,600 houses in the past four years and stated that “The public housing charter is not a criterion for building houses in the city” as it is a strategic plan.

As a counterargument, Louis Newton emphasized that one of the main criteria for access to funding is the approval of the Municipal Housing Charter with the possibility of investing 800 million euros, while PS stated that it was “false” that this document conditions access to public funds.

Liberal Initiative MP Angélique da Teresa pointed out that the proposal for a Municipal Housing Charter was spearheaded by “the left that ran the city”, including PS and BE, warning that “without this document, Lisbon no longer has priority access to PRR. funds [Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência]”.