City bars – many of them still called teleclubs – are, in many cases, the last bastion of small towns which have seen schools and clinics closedthe barracks or the priest’s houses. These premises, mostly municipal, are the only space in which to interact with the few remaining neighbors and spend free time, without forgetting that during the summer months, when the municipality resuscitates thanks to the “children of the people” who return, becomes one of its attractions. This is perhaps why the first appeal launched by the Régie to contribute to the maintenance of these establishments in municipalities with less than 200 inhabitants was a “success”. In total, 734 people will receive the 3,000 euros provided by this measure, a line for which the Ministry of the Presidency had allocated three million euros.
The head of this department, Luis Miguel González Gago, yesterday visited the town of Hornillos de Cerrato in Palenciaone of the beneficiary cities, where he expressed his satisfaction at the great interest that the proposal had aroused. “This is an initiative anchored in the territory with which the Commission has demonstrated its understanding of the needs of our rural environment,” said Gago, for whom, in addition, “it is an example of real policy that has had the support of local entities. . » and which we will consolidate in the years to come.
The total amount of aid granted amounts to more than 2.2 million euros. These subsidies will be used to cover the current expenses of these establishments in 734 municipalities: 492 are municipal capitals of less than 200 inhabitants (261 of less than 100 inhabitants) and 242 districts (including 180 of less than 100 inhabitants) and only have a bar, cafeteria or similar establishment. The total number of inhabitants recorded in these towns is around 70,000. But to this figure, we must add the number of people who, having housing, do not normally reside there and, therefore, do not do not appear in the census, as well as the visitors they can welcome during vacations or festive periods.
In total, it is estimated, according to sources from the Ministry of the Presidency, that the establishments which received this aid will serve around 145,000 people per year, “with the positive consequences that this will have not only on daily life in the cities, but also for its tourist projection. González Gago insisted that “this aid gives life to the municipalities because a bar in a small town allows the population to settle down, it fulfills a social function, since people discuss, meet and interact, and it is also useful, by allowing situations of vulnerability and helplessness to be detected, or those related to personal health. people.
By province, The largest number of municipalities that will receive the 3,000 euros is in Burgos (169), followed by León (153) and Ávila (81). Next come Palencia (70); Salamanca (60), Soria (57) and Valladolid (53). Zamora (46) and Segovia (45) close the table. The 3,000 euros that each municipality will obtain will be used entirely to cover the establishment’s expenses for general supplies, such as water, electricity, gas and other fuels for heating and hot water. . and also for payment of internet, television or audiovisual platforms. The aid will therefore ultimately be received by the public entity (in the case where the establishment is locally owned) or by the private or independent company which bore these expenses, which must in any case have occurred last . one year before the appeal.
