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The Times once famously claimed that Palma is the top place to live because it is “Just a two-hour hop from the UK and 10 minutes from airport, the Balearic capital is nothing if not accessible. Yet it manages to keep something back, a whiff of exclusivity,” and the mayor wants that reinforce that reputation. The mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, presented the municipal budget for 2026 on Monday, which amounts to 623.9 million euros, an increase of 2.25% after adding 13.7 million to this year’s budget. The mayor presented the accounts at a press conference accompanied by Vox councillor Fulgencio Coll, who announced his support for the proposal because it reflects his party’s demands. With these figures, the consolidated budget of Palma City Council for the coming financial year, including the accounts of autonomous bodies and companies, amounts to €956.2 million. Martínez highlighted the budget increase in a context of debt and tax reduction. On this point, following the reduction that came into force on 1 January 2025 and affected property tax, business activity tax and capital gains tax - with annual savings of €11 million for citizens - in 2026 the second phase of the reduction in municipal capital gains tax will be applied, which will stand at 18%, ‘one of the lowest among large cities in Spain’. The mayor highlighted the Public Safety budget as a ‘priority area’, standing at €121 million after growing by 13% without taking into account the €25 million cost of rescuing the fire station. The Public Safety accounts include, among other measures, the creation of 50 new Local Police positions and the drafting of the project for the future police station in Nou Llevant. Next year, Martínez added, the new Local Police Plan will be unveiled. Similarly, €1.5 million will be allocated to vehicles. In the area of firefighting, new positions are expected to be announced, with €3 million allocated to vehicles and €700,000 for improvements to the fire station, in addition to expanding Civil Protection to 25 volunteers. When it comes to public transport, the first 57 electric buses out of a total of 113 to be purchased over the next four years, for a maximum value of €98 million, will be incorporated, and the ORA pay and display parking zone and the fourth phase of BiciPalma will be expanded, with 23 new stations and 230 electric bicycles, including Playa de Palma and Paseo Maritimo. As for major projects that will move forward next year, the mayor of Palma explained that, in relation to the Plaza Mayor the works will be put out to tender between May and June in order to meet the commitment to start in the third quarter of 2026. In relation to the GESA building, the ideas competition will be approved in a few weeks so that the basic execution project can be awarded next year. Coll said that he backs the budget because it addresses Vox’s demands in terms of quality of life and moving forward so that Palma ‘regains the position it once had’.
