The Catalan government has defended its decision to close the Badalona Sud Consortium in Badalona, stating the entity was inefficient and its closure will improve public policies and optimise resources. The Ministry of Social Rights confirmed that services for users will continue after the consortium's liquidation.
The Badalona Sud Consortium (CBS) was established in 2006 by the Badalona City Council and the Generalitat to address degradation and social exclusion in the city's southern neighbourhoods. These areas include Artigues, Congrés, el Remei, la Mora, and especially Sant Roc. At its inception, the consortium had seven employees and a budget of €1.2 million.
Over time, the resources allocated to the CBS significantly decreased, reducing its operational capacity. By December 2019, it had only one salaried employee and its investment had halved. The consortium has since been dissolved, temporarily reactivated, and then permanently closed.
Reasons for Dissolution
Mònica Martínez Bravo, the Minister of Social Rights, explained in a parliamentary response that the government decided to complete the liquidation due to the entity's “structural precariousness”, “lack of planning and management”, “difficulty in administrative and economic management”, “functional dependence”, and “lack of real autonomy”. These issues limited the consortium's ability to act effectively.
The Generalitat chose dissolution to “improve public policies and optimise resources”, believing that its objectives could be better achieved without a specific legal structure. Officials preferred simpler, more flexible, and efficient inter-administrative coordination mechanisms. The ministry concluded that neither the economic volume nor the activity justified maintaining a separate structure, making its continued operation contrary to principles of efficiency and economy.
Failed Revival Attempts
An attempt to revive the consortium in June 2023, led by then-Minister of Social Rights Carles Campuzano and Mayor Xavier García Albiol, proved unsuccessful. Both had suggested that for the CBS to function, it would need to “include transversal areas of action”.
This revival effort continued for nearly a year. In May 2024, the consortium's statutes were reformed to give the Generalitat a majority stake. There were also discussions about designing an intervention plan for southern Badalona, and the government pledged to inject €415,000 to reactivate the entity. However, a change in the Generalitat's leadership halted these proposals.
On 5 February 2025, a document was signed, definitively closing the consortium. The reasons given at that time aligned with Minister Martínez Bravo's recent parliamentary response, focusing on the entity's precarious situation and structure.
Ensuring Continued Services
One common criticism of the closure concerned the lack of clarity regarding which services would continue. The parliamentary response addresses this, stating that “the Government has adopted the necessary measures to ensure that the liquidation process” of the entity “does not cause any interruption in the attention to the people and families using the affected services”. This commitment aims to reassure residents that essential support will remain available despite the structural changes.
