The Juntos Pelo Povo (JPP) has questioned a €500,000 line in Funchal's 2026 municipal budget for the 'Habitar Funchal' programme, after the city council announced the money will not be used this year and the measure is postponed to 2027.
Speaking after a meeting of the Funchal Municipal Assembly, councillor Isabel Santos criticised the back-and-forth of the PSD/CDS majority on an issue she called a priority for families, young people and the working middle class. The party says that, to secure the allocation, 180,000 euros were taken from kennel management, 68,000 euros from public toilet maintenance and cleaning, and 100,000 euros from free taxi transport for over-75s.
The programme, announced in June by the mayor, aims to find homes on the market to sublet at reduced rents. The JPP argues it should move forward quickly and calls for a clear timetable for opening applications and moving in the first families.
