Oviedo, 23 September 2026 — MP Covadonga Tomé from the Grupo Mixto has called in the debate on the political direction of the Junta General del Principado de Asturias for state intervention against property speculation and an immediate suspension of licences for private universities. Addressing the regional head of government, Adrián Barbón she justified this by pointing to rising rents, low wages and growing social discontent.
In her speech, Tomé called for clear regulatory measures in the housing market and an accelerated expansion of publicly subsidised housing in Asturias. She accused the regional government of acting too hesitantly to protect tenants and called for a change of course. In her view, social polarisation risks increasing if politicians fail to respond decisively to disruption in the housing market.
Tomé was particularly critical of the announced establishment of private universities in Asturias. She described the procedures as insufficiently scrutinised and warned of possible consequences for tuition fees, access to education and housing conditions in university towns. The MP called for ongoing procedures to be suspended and for a broad political debate on the aims, need and conditions for private providers. In July, she had already filed a Universidad Europea de Asturias legal challenge.
Addressing the political debate in the region, Tomé stressed that appeals against the far right were not enough without tangible social measures. What mattered was reducing economic and social insecurity through concrete decisions by the regional government. In her view, these should include investment in affordable housing, clear rules for rentals and an orderly process for planning higher education that prioritises the public interest.
Tomé also referred to other Asturian issues, including the investigation into the mining accident at Cerredo on 31 March 2025 and current infrastructure projects such as a planned data centre in Salas. In her view, these initiatives need to be justified more transparently and subjected to closer parliamentary scrutiny.
The MP’s proposals will be discussed further at forthcoming sessions of the Junta General. Comprehensive responses from the regional government to the allegations and proposals made by Tomé were not initially available. In the ongoing general debate, several parliamentary groups had previously outlined policy principles for the economy, social affairs and higher education; organisations such as Somos Asturies had already warned in August of the possible effects of private universities on the housing market.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).