“Restrictions on local accommodation are crucial, and setting limits to curb its proliferation is a priority for the PS councilors,” stated Socialist Alexandra Leitão, announcing the request for the proposal to amend the Municipal Regulation of Local Accommodation (RMAL) to be discussed at the first council meeting of the 2025-2029 term, scheduled for Monday at 10:00 AM.
The PS councilors have requested that the proposal be included as an extra-agenda item for this extraordinary meeting, during which the delegation of powers from the council to its president will be discussed, allowing him to subsequently assign portfolios, not necessarily on the same day.
“If there is another blockage or if the proposal is rejected, we will draw the appropriate political conclusions,” said PS councilor in a written statement sent to the Lusa agency.
Asked about the PS’s goal regarding the regulation of local accommodation (LA), a source from the mayor’s office dismissed this discussion from the first municipal executive meeting. “The agenda is defined and presented. The meeting has a clear purpose, and it will naturally serve that purpose.”
Socialist Alexandra Leitão argued that “it is necessary to regulate local accommodation in a substantiated and permanent way,” mentioning that in September, before the local elections, the PS presented a proposal to the council to this effect, but it was not even discussed due to the mayor’s refusal.
“Over the last year, moratoriums have been extended, and this issue, which is fundamental to ensuring more housing in the rental market, remains unresolved,” emphasized the PS councilor, noting that now that Carlos Moedas, the re-elected mayor, has taken office, “the situation once again falls into legal uncertainty, making the approval of the new LA regulation even more urgent.”
The suspension of new LA licenses in the city, approved on May 6, was to last for six months while the municipality presented a ratio of permanent housing to such establishments “equal to or greater than 5%,” with the municipality currently reporting a ratio of 7.2%.
The suspension’s deadline was set to end on November 7, but according to an order from the mayor, it was suspended from October 12, the date of the local elections, until the new elected bodies took office on November 11.
This suspension was justified by the limited management regime of local authorities and their members, following the “vicissitudes” of the electoral process.
After taking office, “the countdown of that suspension period will resume,” reads the order signed by Carlos Moedas, noting that the proposal to amend the RMAL is “in the final approval stage” after public consultation, and is “ready” to be presented to the council.
Regarding the delegation of powers to the mayor to be discussed on Monday, BE councilor Carolina Serrão today accused the social-democrat Carlos Moedas of wanting to “expand his discretionary powers and reduce the transparency of his actions.”
The proposed changes are to increase the threshold for “significant impact” operations from 800 square meters (m²) of floor area to 1,800 m², or to allow budget changes that were previously delegated with a limit of 750,000 euros and constrained by operational checks to be authorized without any limit, only being communicated quarterly, indicated the BE, presenting a counterproposal to maintain the collegial decision-making powers of the previous 2021-2025 term.
In the current term (2025-2029), Carlos Moedas resumes governance in a minority with eight elected members from the PSD/CDS-PP/IL coalition, one short of an absolute majority, which would require electing nine of the 17 members of the capital’s executive. The opposition includes six members from PS/Livre/BE/PAN, two from Chega, and one from CDU (PCP/PEV coalition).
