The Alicante Provincial Council has significantly increased the budget for the Culture department in 2022, which will have 24.6 million euro at its disposal, 21% more than last year. In 2022, the increase in aid aimed at municipalities stands out, doubling, from 2.5 to 5 million euro.
The First Vice-President and Deputy for Culture, Julia Parra, stated that, “in the absence of support from the Generalitat, it has been necessary to provide the area with a larger budget and a form of distribution of aid that benefits the municipalities with fewer resources”.
The head of Culture has indicated that, “with this budgetary effort, we will cover a cultural deficit of more than 20 million euro per year that unfortunately also seems to be maintained this year, leaving Alicante behind in investment and cultural spending.”
Likewise, Julia Parra has advanced that “we are especially satisfied with the creation of a new line aimed exclusively at municipalities at risk of depopulation that is endowed with 150,000 euro, a criterion that will also be extended to other aid to favour the development of a cultural offer rich and varied for the first time in these especially vulnerable populations”.
In the Culture budget, a clause is included in all calls for city councils so that those who are at risk of depopulation receive, in addition to the corresponding aid, up to 50% of additional amount. They can now request grants aimed at promoting cultural, musical, and scenic activities and Valencian popular culture, endowed respectively with 690,000 euro and 400,000 euro.
Subsidies for non-profit organisations are also in the application period, with a budget of 400,000 euro, in which the carrying out of activities in municipalities at risk of depopulation will be valued in order to expand their cultural programming.
The deputy for Culture has pointed out that “never before have Culture grants been granted with this criterion, but it is a great opportunity to take another step so that all populations, regardless of their resources and the number of inhabitants, can carry out projects which could also be an additional attraction”.
Support will also be maintained for the Alicante cultural sector through subsidies aimed at stimulating activity, especially those aimed at the performing arts group and artisans from the Bonfires and Fallas sector and others.
