The Town Hall of Lebrija, governed by the PSOE, has put at risk a grant of €364,479 for biowaste collection by failing to execute the project before the deadline set by the Junta de Andalucía. The contract for the truck and brown bins was awarded in March 2026, four months after the limit.
The Town Hall of Lebrija, governed by the PSOE, has jeopardised a grant of €364,479 from Next Generation European funds. The aid, intended for the implementation of a separate biowaste collection service, required the project to be executed before 30 November 2025. However, the contract for the purchase of a waste truck and brown bins was not awarded until 26 March 2026.
Missed deadlines and late contracts
The resolution granting the subsidy, issued by the Junta de Andalucía, set 30 November 2025 as the deadline for project execution. The Town Hall, for its part, kept the submission period open until 26 December 2025, almost a month after the limit. The final award did not come until 26 March 2026, and was published on 8 April.
The aid covered 90% of a project valued at €404,977. The €364,479 granted was to be used for the acquisition of a collection truck, new brown bins for organic matter, and a public awareness campaign. Now, the Town Hall may have to bear the full cost with its own funds if the Junta de Andalucía deems that the conditions have not been met.
Opposition criticism of municipal management
The coordinator of Vox in Lebrija, Antonio Jiménez, has denounced the situation and demands explanations from the socialist mayor. "If the project was to be executed before 30 November, it is hard to understand how the grant could be fulfilled when the contract was still open almost a month later and was not awarded until March 2026," says Jiménez.
Jiménez calls for the local government to clarify whether the Junta has requested additional documentation, whether the aid is still guaranteed, or whether part of the €364,479 has already been lost. "We are talking about public money and a necessary investment to improve waste collection in Lebrija," points out the Vox leader, who accuses the municipal government of acting with "negligence and incompetence."
Consequences for the residents of Lebrija
The loss of this grant directly affects the residents of Lebrija, who would see the improvement of the waste collection service delayed. The implementation of the brown bins is key to meeting the European Union's recycling targets and reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. Without the aid, the Town Hall would need to seek other funding sources or bear the cost, which could result in increased fees or the project being put on hold.
So far, the Town Hall has not publicly informed about the status of the grant or whether the Junta de Andalucía has initiated any proceedings for non-compliance. Meanwhile, residents are waiting for answers and fear that the European money has vanished due to delayed administrative management.