According to the complaint, residents of Collado Villalba will be forced to bear a considerably higher expense for the renaturalization works of the Guadarrama River. The municipal contribution, initially estimated at 186,000 euros if subsidy deadlines had been met, has now risen to 1,249,000 euros.
The City Council leadership publicly acknowledged last week that the institution will have to contribute 489,000 euros, instead of the anticipated 168,000 euros (5% of the total with European funding). An additional 760,000 euros for “unforeseen circumstances” brings the total cost overrun to the aforementioned figure.
“"This is nothing more than a maneuver to disguise the real increase in spending, or in other words, to deliberately lie to the residents. We demand urgent explanations from the mayor for this disastrous management that is proving very costly for the people of Villalba."
As early as January of this year, the opposition had warned that the management of the Partido Popular could generate additional expenses for citizens, by not completing the work within the established four-year period. The current situation appears to confirm these predictions.
Furthermore, doubts have been raised about the veracity of the certifications submitted for the works. There is suspicion that work not yet completed has been certified, which could lead to the withdrawal of European funds and even financial penalties.
Concern also extends to the potential long-term consequences of raising the riverbed. It is noted that buildings are located just a few meters from the river in areas such as El Gorronal and the Parquesierra urbanization, areas historically affected by humidity problems. There is uncertainty about whether these works could cause future structural problems at a high cost.
