Bettencourt says municipalities must take direct role in housing
Madeira GuideCâmara de Lobos has 45 housing units under construction and aims to deliver 153 new homes by the end of the term, Celso Bettencourt said.
Celso Bettencourt said during the PSD/Madeira Parliamentary Days that municipalities must take an active, direct role in responding to housing problems rather than leaving the responsibility exclusively to the Regional Government.
The Câmara de Lobos mayor said 45 housing units are currently under construction in the municipality. The target is 153 new housing units by the end of the term.
Bettencourt rejected the idea that municipalities had been prevented from using financing instruments available through the PRR. He said deadlines were short but the same for everyone, and that Câmara de Lobos and other municipalities were able to prepare applications because they had work already done and were prepared.
According to Funchal Notícias, Bettencourt called the claim that municipalities had been blocked from submitting PRR projects a "blatant lie". He referred to an IDR financing line and questioned why Câmara de Lobos and Funchal were able to move forward while Santa Cruz was left out.
He criticized the Santa Cruz executive and the JPP over housing and municipal performance, and said investing in housing does not mean abandoning other areas of municipal action. According to Funchal Notícias, he also criticized Santa Cruz mayor Élia Ascensão, accusing her of maintaining a strategy of confrontation and presenting what he considered a false reading of the municipality's actions and the Regional Government's responsibilities.
Earlier, this site reported that JPP seeks answers over 60 unoccupied homes in Câmara de Lobos.
Update — 2026-09-16
Bettencourt said the housing-access problem extends across much of Europe. He argued that governments, municipalities and other stakeholders must develop new strategies and increase available supply. He said Santa Cruz had not prepared the necessary projects in time. He argued that access to support instruments depends on each municipality's capacity and political will to use them.
Sources
Madeira Guide
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