Zaragoza City Council Valladolid has been ordered by the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Castilla y León the debate on the so-called alcalde B to the agenda for the meeting on Monday, 14 September. The city council said it would not appeal the ruling. This means two motions from the Socialists will be put to a vote; they were rejected by the mayor in September and October of the previous year Jesús Julio Carnero and were not admitted.
Specifically, the issue concerns the post of Director de Coordinación de Políticas Públicas, referred to in Valladolid by the short name alcalde B. It is currently held by Indalecio Escudero formerly Carnero’s chief of staff at the Diputación de Valladolid and later a director-general in the regional administration. The post has already been the subject of court rulings: the High Court overturned the post’s original structure. The city council then attempted to legitimise the role through a one-off amendment to the Reglamento Orgánico, in force since 1996, and refused to hold a plenary debate on Escudero’s duties. Reglamento Orgánico and refused to hold a plenary debate on Escudero’s duties.
The ruling now issued requires the mayor to bring the Socialist motions before the plenary. The PSOE in Valladolid says it wants the “usefulness” of alcalde B to be demonstrated. The Socialists are also calling on Carnero to “devote more time to the Alcaldía”. In their view, by repeatedly vetoing the motions, the city leadership achieved the opposite of what it intended: rather than avoid the debate, it increased its significance.
The city council, by contrast, points to institutional procedures and the protection of employees. Sources close to Carnero say the administration expects civil servants to be treated with respect. It is undisputed that the debate must now take place; the plenary will decide on any possible next steps. The ruling concerns the agenda alone, not an assessment of the post’s substance.
Politically, the case touches on key questions of local governance: how far may a mayor delegate operational duties without exceeding the limits set by the municipal regulations? And how closely should the plenary exercise oversight? In Valladolid, this dispute is unfolding amid a polarised climate between the government and opposition. The immediate occasion is regional: the debate will take place at the Ayuntamiento de Valladolid and is scheduled for Monday, 14 September.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).