Badalona City Council approved a €334.79 million budget for 2027 on Monday 9th November, with the governing Popular Party (PP) using its absolute majority to pass the accounts, according to El Periódico.

The plan sets aside approximately €268 million for the council’s ordinary operations and €67 million for investment. For residents, it includes funding intended to support public services and improvements to streets, facilities and public spaces across Badalona’s neighbourhoods, according to the council.

The budget is €20.58 million, or 6.55%, larger than the 2026 accounts. The administration of Mayor Xavier García Albiol describes it as the largest in the city’s history.

Guanyem Badalona, the Socialists’ Party of Catalonia (PSC), Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Badalona En Comú Podem voted against it. The extraordinary council session on 9th November was separate from the meeting on 26th October at which changes to property tax and other charges were approved.

Spending on services and municipal contracts

Eva Guillén, the council’s fifth deputy mayor and councillor responsible for finance, presented the budget proposal before the vote. In the council’s announcement, she said:

“We are presenting a growth budget, the largest in the city’s history.”

Guillén said the administration wanted to strengthen public services, update and maintain major municipal contracts, modernise the council and continue investing in neighbourhood infrastructure.

The council’s budget announcement identifies contracts it says had not been renewed for years:

  • Street cleaning and cleaning of municipal buildings.
  • Maintenance of the ground and underground infrastructure.
  • Traffic lights and public lighting.

The administration also plans to expand the municipal workforce progressively and advance the digitisation of council services. Its announcement says the ordinary budget is approximately 6% higher than in 2026, while the investment allocation is up by 8.76%.

Projected income is €267.70 million, an increase of €15.8 million, according to the council’s presentation.

Property tax was approved separately

Property owners in Badalona face a 2.9% increase in the municipal property tax in 2027. The council approved that change at an extraordinary session on Monday 26th October, before the budget vote.

That earlier session also approved changes to other taxes, administrative fees and regulated parking zones. The PP’s majority allowed the fiscal changes to pass despite opposition objections.

Guillén said the property tax increase was needed to keep pace with rising municipal service costs. The administration projected inflation of 3.5% by the end of 2026.

According to the city government, property tax increases over the current council term add up to 11%. Albiol said that was below an approximately 13% increase in the national consumer price index, a measure of changes in prices.

Opposition groups questioned the tax increases while the council held unspent funds. PSC spokesperson Christian Carneado argued that revenue had not translated into improved services.

Residents can check the council’s budget announcement linked above for its breakdown of the proposed spending and the contracts the administration intends to update.

Sources: El Periódico, badalona.cat, Barna.News News Desk.