Inland Malaga town to be home to the largest centre for autism in Andalucía

Antonio M. Romero

Friday, 18 October 2024, 10:39

Progress has been made with the plans for the complex known as La Vega in Antequera to be the biggest centre for autism in Andalucía, which aspires to become a national benchmark in the care of people with autism spectrum disorder. The provincial authority (Diputación), owner of the building, agreed during the last full council meeting by unanimity of all the political groups the free transfer of these facilities to the autism spectrum disorder resourch centre (EDAU) for its management.

The concession will have a duration of 15 years, extendable for a further three years, and provides for the EDAU to use the 2,165 square metres of the main building, the 289 square metres of the annex building and the 19,710 square metres of gardens. The costs of electricity, water and cleaning of the complex, including the gardens, will be paid by the provincial authority for the first five years, according to the agreement between the two parties.

Once this transfer has been approved, it will be necessary to carry out some actions to adapt the spaces, so the foundation expects to start activities in this centre from 2025.

The initiatives and programmes that will be implemented in this space will seek to improve the quality of life of people with autism spectrum disorder and their families; to provide a response tailored to their needs in the academic, health, social and employment fields; to train family members and professionals so that they can offer more appropriate care; to promote greater visibility of the reality of this group; to protect people with autism spectrum disorder to ensure their future quality of life; and to promote research.

The president of the provincial government, Francisco Salado, said that this centre will become "an ideal space to develop research projects and social experimentation with the aim of attending in the best conditions the needs of these people and their family environment". He pointed out that the entities that work with this group estimate that in the province there are more than 11,000 people affected by the autism spectrum disorder.

Salado said that the alliance with non-profit organisations is "fundamental" for public administrations, because "it allows us to increase efficiency and effectiveness in the provision of services to citizens".

On the other hand, during the session held on Wednesday, the mayor of Campillos, Daniel Gómez (PSOE), spoke about mobility in the interior of the province, calling for the "urgent" widening of the A-384 road between Antequera and Arcos de la Frontera as it passes through his municipality and Almargen, the dual carriageway to Ronda and the road linking Campillos with Teba affected by the floods of 2018.

Gómez said that the debate opened in recent months on improving mobility on the coast of the province should also be extended, by the relevant administrations (mainly the Junta de Andalucía and the Diputación), to the interior because there is "a significant deficit in terms of communications and mobility" and to avoid building a province "with first and second class citizens".

For her part, the Mayor of Torremolinos, Margarita del Cid, took the floor to express her gratitude for the institutional support for the municipality's candidacy for Europride 2027, and to highlight the importance for the province of the town hosting this event, the most important LGBT+ event in Europe.

A motion by the PP was also unanimously approved, calling for the technical meeting on mobility to be held at the end of November to lay the foundations for the coastal train and to consider the suspension or reduction of tolls on the Costa del Sol motorway.