The funds to support neighborhood trade deriving from the Bettola PII are not spent. This is the accusation launched by the Democratic Party against the right-wing council of Cinisello Balsamo. Touching on one of the most sensitive issues in the city, the retail crisis and the closure of many small businesses. In reality, say the Democrats, the confirmation that the money is there but is not allocated comes from the response at the end of May to a question presented by councilor Mariarita Morabito, confirming what had already emerged in a previous question in October 2023.
In practice, of the 1.2 million euros deriving from the Bettola urban plan, which tied up the budget funds already in 2018, only 146 thousand were spent. “Mayors usually complain that they don’t have resources, while here we are faced with the absurdity that, despite the availability, the funds are not spent. Lack of ideas on the part of the council? Lack of planning? Too much bureaucracy? In any case, the inability to spend the available funds demonstrates the administrative incompetence of the Council”, accuses Mariarita Morabito.
The funds for socio-economic compensation are charges that the PII operator Bettola paid to the municipality of Cinisello way back in 2018 to promote a balanced economic and social development of commercial activities within the municipal and supra-municipal area. The resources available to the municipality amount to €1,255,972, of which 460,000 are available to the Commercial District, 50,000 intended for the support of existing sales points and the creation of new ones and 745,972 for the attractiveness of the vast area.
The latter are funds that can still benefit city commerce but must be committed on the basis of planning that involves neighboring municipalities, an action on which the Commerce councilor has essentially remained firm, attacks the PD.
To date, just 46,616 euros have been spent (just under 12% of the total): 10 thousand in consultancy activities, 24,899.60 for the purchase of gel columns for the city’s shops, funds which perhaps could have had better uses, while 77,927 euros were reserved for the 2022-2024 Districts call and only 33,788 were used as direct contributions to shopkeepers.
“We have been asking the same question to the deputy mayor of Berlin since 2018 and we get the same inconclusive answers. Certainly in these years of crisis, first with Covid, then with the increase in the cost of energy and inflation, it would have been necessary to strongly support shopkeepers and the resources to do so were there!“ – declares Andrea Catania , city secretary of the PD – “Yet in the area we are fortunate to have active and proactive associations, what is missing is a trade plan that identifies the priorities and a planning of interventions” concludes Catania.
