During the presentation of her candidacy for the Matosinhos City Council, Diana Sá, aged 47, emphasized that housing is a nationwide issue affecting everyone, not just those facing economic vulnerability.
“For instance, if someone earns the equivalent of two national minimum wages, they are not considered economically vulnerable, yet their financial effort to rent a T1 in Matosinhos would exceed 30% of their income, which is not sustainable,” she explained.
Addressing a full audience at the Winter Pavilion of Jardim Basílio Teles in Matosinhos, where the candidates for the Municipal Assembly and parish councils were also presented, Diana Sá stressed that dignified housing cannot depend on the goodwill or generosity of private entities.
“Dignified housing is a right that must be secured; thus, we are focusing on investing in public housing with a controlled rent system,” she stated.
In the short term, in addition to converting and renovating unused or underused public buildings for affordable rental housing and student residences, the candidate from the Livre party aims for similar actions with private buildings.
In the long term, Diana Sá plans to promote the formation and expansion of housing cooperatives for the development of public or cooperative housing, reverting ownership to the municipality if the managing cooperative is dissolved, thereby preventing the sale of properties on the private market and curbing real estate speculation.
Besides housing, Diana Sá, an actress, creator, and trainer, seeks to provide public transportation for all. She aims to enhance the transportation network to serve the entire municipality equitably, reducing disparities.
In the medium term, she stated, the objective is to offer free public transportation in the district of Porto to discourage car use, ease traffic on busy roads, and reduce fossil fuel combustion, contributing to cleaner mobility.
Alongside Diana Sá, other candidates for the Matosinhos City Council include the current mayor, Luísa Salgueiro from the PS, lawyer Bruno Pereira from the PSD, CDU councilor José Pedro Rodrigues, former socialist and independent councilor António Parada representing Chega, former Bloco de Esquerda (BE) parliamentary group president Pedro Filipe Soares, and Filipe Garcia from IL.
The current executive consists of seven members elected by the PS, one from the PSD, one independent, one from the António Parada Sim! movement, and one from the CDU.
The municipal elections are scheduled for October 12.
