The Santa Cruz Municipal Council, led by JPP, responded to criticism from the PSD-Madeira parliamentary group leader, Jaime Filipe Ramos, who accused the council of "total abandonment by those governing". Mayor Élia Ascensão described the PSD-M's strategy as "embarrassing" and an "endorsement of stupidity" towards the citizens, stating the party ignores reality and tries to present regional obligations as favors.
Ascensão recalled the municipality's financial state in 2013, with a debt of approximately 37 million euros and invoice payment times exceeding a thousand days, contrasting it with the current situation where payments average 28 days and the municipality invested around 12 million euros in public works in 2024.
In response to accusations of abandonment, the mayor challenged the PSD to consult PIDDAR reports, which, she claims, prove "persistent underinvestment" by the Regional Government in Santa Cruz, even during periods when the PSD simultaneously managed the Region and the Municipal Council.
