The former mayor of Barcelona Xavier Trias touched a sore spot last week: "How is it possible that a healthy city council with a fiscal surplus in 2015 when we handed it over to Barcelona en Comú should now have to, during a period of economic growth, make cuts?". ERC's leader in the council, Alfred Bosch, rounded it off: "It's a very grave case of economic disorder" and the mayor "has a lot of chutzpah".
These are only two of the political reactions, but all the city's parties, with the exception of her own, have harshly criticised Ada Colau following the announcements of economic cuts and stalled projects. Certainly, the main disadvantage of governing alone is that if you need help, your political isolation grows. And Colau has for some time opted for political isolation in the city of Barcelona. Something uncommon in municipal politics, especially when the number of councillors the governing team has is so small: 11 out of 41. The truth is that in the final stretch of the Barcelona mayor's mandate, her incapacity to weave alliances with her natural partners, PSC, CUP and ERC, or with the main opposition party, Xavier Trias's, is becoming clearer than ever.
Given the fears that the municipal coffers have a serious problem due to the drop in income, either due to the reduction in capital gains or the fall in property tax, it's urgent, as ERC has requested, for an extraordinary city council meeting to be held. Many projects are waiting for the budgeted figures to be maintained and the people of Barcelona deserve an explanation in the plenary session, not a mere press conference. If something has characterised Barcelona City Council for years, with PSC mayors Maragall, Clos and Hereu and later with Trias, it's the health of its public accounts.
All of this even at times of economic difficulties due to the global economic recession. It's to be hoped that Ada Colau's team's explanation allows for the narrative of a city with no problems in its public accounts to be maintained.