The mayor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Carolina Darias, has intensified her criticism against the Government of the Canary Islands, accusing it of "passivity" in processing the request for the city to be declared a tense residential market area. This measure would allow for capping rental prices and facilitating access to housing.
The capital's City Council has been trying since May 2024 for the regional government to admit this request for processing, in accordance with the Law for the Right to Housing. After an initial submission in early 2025 and a negative response from the Canary Islands government in November citing non-compliance with requirements, the City Council resubmitted the documentation in February 2026, and is still awaiting a response.
"The truth is that as of today, almost a year and a half later, the Government of the Canary Islands has still not admitted the file for processing," lamented Darias, questioning whether the citizens "do not deserve the attention of the Government of the Canary Islands to improve their lives." The mayor believes the city deserves a response "that has to do with the needs of these people and not because the city government is of a different political leaning."
This reaction comes after statements by the president of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, in the regional Parliament, where he suggested that declaring a tense zone would be useless. Darias attributes this conviction to the fact that "they do not believe in the measure," extending the criticism to the Minister of Housing, Pablo Rodríguez.
The socialist councilwoman emphasized that "it is not a matter of faith, it is a matter of rights, it is a matter of applying the housing law." She assured that the City Council has done its job and provided a "rigorous report," but even so, the file has not been admitted for processing.
Darias indicated that it must be made clear "which political forces want to improve the lives of citizens and which do not." She pointed out that "political forces, which have names and surnames, that are part of the Government of the Canary Islands" do not want to "hear about tense zones" and, therefore, "do not want to see the possibility of lowering rents for families in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria."
The mayor demanded that the capital of Gran Canaria be given the opportunity that other Spanish cities such as Bilbao, Barcelona, Donostia, Vitoria, A Coruña, or Pamplona have had. "Other cities have said that improvements occur when rental prices are capped," she stated, although she admitted that "in view of the statements, everything indicates that it will not" be achieved in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. "I will not give up. I will continue demanding a response," she concluded.
