The Diputación de Badajoz is forecasting a slight rise in spending and a stronger social focus for the 2027 financial year. President Raquel del Puerto confirmed this following an internal meeting of the government team in Monesterio. The provincial administration did not provide specific figures, but said it would set out the priorities in more detail in a draft over the coming weeks and submit it to the plenary session.
The reference point is the 2026 budget, which official figures put at around 321.5 million euros. The planned increase for 2027 is expected to be concentrated mainly in social services, employment support and measures to tackle rural depopulation in the Province of Badajoz be reflected. Del Puerto spoke of a “more socially focused” approach, without putting a figure on the final allocation of funds.
The new financial plan is to include the programme announced in October Plan Futuro, which has a budget of 30 million euros. It is aimed at municipalities in the province with up to 20,000 residents and is intended to support investment, equipment, employment programmes and day-to-day operating costs. According to the provincial administration, the annual instalments for this programme planned for 2027 will be incorporated into the draft. The background is the persistent demographic imbalance in rural areas of Extremadura; the administration points to a combination of infrastructure measures, social services and economic revitalisation.
Opposition criticism regularly focuses on transparency and the setting of priorities. Representatives of the Partido Popular called in previous budget rounds for investment lists and indicators to be disclosed in good time. The Diputación de Badajoz has not yet announced a timetable for submitting the draft. Usually, after it is presented, it is debated in plenary, where amendments can be tabled and voted on.
In recent years, the province’s financial policy has balanced ongoing transfers to consortia and autonomous bodies with the use of existing reserves. How significant these items will be in 2027 remains unclear until the draft is published. What is clear at present is that the administration intends to increase the 2027 budget moderately and visibly expand its social component. Any further detailed figures and percentages remain unsubstantiated until the official presentation.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).