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Madrid raises the fund that will transform 178 municipalities to €1.1 billion
The Comunidad de Madrid is preparing a new Regional Investment Programme with €1.1 billion for the next five years, 10% more than the current plan. Isabel Díaz Ayuso announced the increase this Thursday during the State of the Region Debate held at the Asamblea de Madrid. The measure is part of the package of one hundred new measures presented by the regional government.
The money will fund works and services requested by town councils: from the renewal of streets, lighting and municipal networks to new sports, cultural, educational or social facilities. The aim of the PIR is precisely to allow municipalities to undertake investments which, especially in smaller localities, would be difficult to address using only their own budgets.
There is an important detail: the programme does not include the municipality of Madrid. The current PIR is aimed at the Comunidad's other 178 town councils, so its investments will be felt in cities such as Móstoles, Alcalá de Henares, Getafe and Alcobendas and in dozens of localities in the mountain areas and rural zones, but not directly in the capital's 21 districts.
The budget increase starts from a round figure. The current 2022-2026 PIR has a regional contribution of €1 billion, so the €1.1 billion announced represents an increase of 10%. During 2026, the Comunidad has budgeted €221.7 million for actions under this programme, 19.4% more than the previous year.
The types of actions that can be funded are very broad. In August alone, the regional government reported 117 projects worth €54.5 million to improve municipal buildings, infrastructure and other public facilities. This summer, the PIR has also been used exceptionally to allocate €20 million to the recovery of municipalities affected by the Sierra Oeste wildfires.
Education will also have a specific weight in the forthcoming programmes. This same week, the Comunidad announced that it will reserve up to €240 million from the PIR for air conditioning and improvements to municipal educational centres, within a broader plan that can mobilise up to €400 million through this route if town councils use part of their own allocations.
The announcement of the €1.1 billion, however, does not mean that there is already a closed list of works for each locality. The next step will be to specify the new programme, its territorial distribution and the amounts corresponding to each town council. Municipalities will then turn those allocations into concrete projects.
The difference may ultimately be visible in very everyday things: a resurfaced street, a renovated sports centre, an accessible square or a better-equipped school. But it will be necessary to wait for the distribution of the new PIR to know which municipalities will receive more money and which works can begin first.