Junts per Berga has raised concerns about a decline in transparency and citizen participation within Berga Town Council, Central Catalonia, this year. The municipal group based its assessment on recent Infoparticipa Seal results and the voting process for the new participatory budget initiatives.
In a press statement, Junts per Berga highlighted a "regression in municipal transparency", noting that the certification awarded by the Autonomous University of Barcelona for local public administration transparency stood at 50%. According to Junts, this marks "the third consecutive year that the municipality has gone backwards in transparency". The party lamented that Berga's result is "far below other nearby administrations" such as Puig-reig Town Council (98%), Berguedà Regional Council (89%), and La Pobla de Lillet Town Council (85%).
The group also warned about the functioning of the participatory budget, which has seen a decreasing number of votes in recent years. For the general category in 2026, 245 people voted, a significant drop from 619 the previous year and 543 two years ago.
Boosting Participation and Transparency
In contrast, the youth category of the participatory budget experienced a substantial increase, rising from 14 voters in 2025 to 668 this year. This surge was attributed to the promotion of in-class voting, a method Junts per Berga suggests implementing more broadly.
To address the situation, Junts per Berga has proposed three measures. Regarding transparency, they advocate for an "integral improvement plan for the municipal website, which guarantees clear, accessible, updated, and useful content for citizens". They also point to the need to reformulate the participatory budget, "abandoning the exclusively digital model and opting for in-person voting with ballot boxes, following the example of the Patum poster".
Finally, Junts per Berga encourages the governing team to allocate a budget for neighbourhood assemblies, "so that they become real spaces for debate and decision", ensuring "a real diversity" in municipal decisions. Ramon Caballé, spokesperson for Junts per Berga, stated that "transparency and participation cannot be cosmetic exercises or empty slogans", adding that "we must put people back at the centre, with clear, simple, and accessible mechanisms that promote broad and genuine participation". The party's proposals aim to reverse the current trend and strengthen democratic processes in Berga.
