Luísa Salgueiro, mayor of Matosinhos, accused the Government of "shirking responsibility" of the PSU onto municipal councils. The president of the Municipal Council of Matosinhos expressed this position during a public intervention on the transfer of competencies to the municipalities.
The mayor recalled that, for the process to proceed positively, it is necessary that the central Executive accompanies the new competencies with resources compatible with the responsibilities assigned. Salgueiro emphasized that the councils cannot assume charges without being given the means necessary to fulfill them.
This position arises in the context of the ongoing administrative decentralization process in Portugal, which has been transferring various competencies from the central government to the municipalities. Several municipalities have expressed similar concerns regarding the lack of resources to face the new responsibilities.
Luísa Salgueiro has been a critical voice regarding the way the competency transfer process has been managed by the Government, defending that adequate conditions must be guaranteed so that municipalities can exercise the new functions assigned to them.
