The Andalusian government has begun the construction of the new administrative building in Málaga that will allow 460 public employees from up to five territorial delegations to be unified in the same space, which will result in «an annual savings of 1.7 million euros by virtually eliminating the investment in rental of buildings in the province,» as highlighted by the Minister of Economy, Finance, and European Funds, Carolina España. The minister emphasized that this project «responds to a historical demand from the residents of the Cruz de Humilladero neighborhood.» Furthermore, she pointed out that «it is finally the Government of Juanma Moreno that fulfills a promise made by previous governments over fifteen years ago.»
The Andalusian Minister of Economy took part in the ceremony for the laying of the cornerstone of the building, located on Avenida Ortega y Gasset in the city of Málaga, where she highlighted the symbolism of the project as an example of managing public assets by the Andalusian Government. «It is a good example of a model that seeks efficiency, cost savings, better utilization of our assets, and improvement in the way we provide public services.»
«Today we launch an infrastructure that will serve Málaga for many years, and we do so with a very clear idea: that every decision, every euro, every project serves to improve the lives of Andalusians,» reiterated the minister.
Carolina España detailed that the project, with an estimated duration of 30 months, is part of the Andalusian Government’s Public Asset Management Plan, whose goal is to enhance the assets of Andalusians always with the benefit of the citizens in mind. «We are adding a significant asset to Málaga, while saving resources that come out of everyone’s pocket,» she noted.
The new building will consolidate in one space around 460 public employees —who currently work dispersed in various rented buildings— from the Territorial Delegation of Agriculture, the Public Agency for Agriculture and Fisheries (AGAPA), the Territorial Planning Service of the Territorial Development Directorate, the Sustainable Development Territorial Directorate, and the Cultural Heritage Service of the Cultural Territorial Directorate. «And it will allow us to save over 1.7 million euros each year in rentals, so we can affirm that in a relatively short time this headquarters will have been amortized, that is, it will have paid for itself,» she emphasized.
The project will be built on a 2,871 square meter plot, which previously housed the old building quality control laboratory, and will have two distinct spaces. The first will be a newly constructed building, with a photovoltaic facade to ensure maximum energy efficiency and eight floors, intended for administrative offices and parking, with a second focused on multi-purpose spaces and halls that will adapt to the existing building.
For the minister, the new building represents the excellence that the Junta seeks in its management. «We want to make everything work better, have our professionals work in better conditions, provide citizens with faster and simpler service, and manage public funds responsibly.»
Savings equivalent to the salary of 1,300 doctors
In this regard, Carolina España provided a summary of the Asset Management Plan developed by the Ministry of Economy, which allowed, among other things, to accurately identify the catalog of properties owned by the Junta and the expenditure on rental of administrative headquarters amounted to a whopping 60 million euros annually. «When we took office, we found that there wasn’t even an updated inventory, and we identified plots and buildings mostly abandoned or underutilized, whose maintenance costs the public coffers, all Andalusians, millions of euros every year,» she stated.
Faced with this scenario, she recalled, efforts were focused on inventorying assets «whose owners are none other than all Andalusian citizens» and adding value to all those buildings and plots that were not being utilized. Thus, the Junta has already generated 138 million euros from the five auctions of these properties. «Do you know what can be paid with 138 million euros? For instance, the salary of 1,380 doctors, 2,555 teachers, 2,875 educators, or 51,000 daycare spots. In addition, these operations save one million euros each year in maintenance of these buildings,» she pointed out.
Likewise, the Junta undertook the consolidation of administrative spaces to curb wasteful spending on rentals. As a result, 70 properties that previous administrations sold to an investment fund were recovered to then be rented back until 2034 (Operation Holmes), «condemning all Andalusians to pay for occupying buildings that were once public property.» This operation allowed for savings of 35.6 million euros in annual rentals, and around 100 million until 2034.
In the case of Málaga, properties were acquired for 32 million euros and each year, savings of 2.5 million euros in rentals will be achieved with this operation, in addition to the 1.7 million that are now being recovered in terms of rental costs.