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10 | Gazette Life | June 2026GAZETTE |INTERVIEW%u201cSOCIETY IS ALWAYS CHANGING%u201dMarciano Acu%u00f1a is the Cabildo%u2019s Councillor in charge of Social Welfare %u2013 a department which covers areas such as the elderly, gender equality, addiction, mental health, disability, children in care and other issues. Lanzarote%u2019s population is increasing steadily. Is that placing pressure on social services?There are 170,000 people on Lanzarote. 18,000 of them are over 65 years of age and 17,000 are registered with some kind of disability. We need to provide the services that they require. We currently have around 1,000 places for social assistance, which range from full-time care to day centres and walkin centres, and we attend around 1,000 people on a daily basis. We operate on a budget of around %u20ac35 million for direct management of care facilities, staffing etc, and a further %u20ac35 million goes to a social partnership with NGOs. How many old people%u2019s homes are there on the island?Five. There%u2019s the Hospital Insular, Las Cabreras in Nazaret and residences in Tinajo, Har%u00eda and T%u00edas. Altogether, they offer 250 beds and a further 250-day spaces Is that enough?No. we need more resources and we need new residences. We%u2019re currently building new centres in Tahiche and in Altavista in Arrecife. How do you co-ordinate efforts with charities and NGOs on the island?They%u2019re vital to what we do. NGOs and the third sector have practical experience and knowledge that we can%u2019t match, and that%u2019s why we%u2019re working towards a system of co-governance with them. Previously, the Cabildo provided grants and subsidies on an annually revised basis, but that limits their capacity to plan ahead.This is why we agreed the Concierto Social (Social Partnership) last year. This allows us to work alongside NGOs such as ADISLAN (special needs), El Cribo (mental health) and AFA (dementia) to manage public places at their facilities. Importantly, it also guarantees funding for seven years,giving these organisations the security they need to make plans. How does a person access the Cabildo%u2019s welfare services?First, you have to attend the social services department of your Ayuntamiento. Once there, it%u2019s necessary to apply for assessment under the Dependency Law. Once that%u2019s done, we make the decision to classify the level of dependency according to a points system, for example Grade 1, 2 or 3. Once graded, you can be considered for services such as day care, home help etc.What are the guidelines you use?There are several, but an important element at the INTERVIEW: MARCI ACU%u00d1A, CABILDO SOCIAL WELFARE COUNCILLORWWW.FIRSTCLASSVILLASERVICES.COMCONTACT NILS JANSSEN INFO@FIRSTCLASSVILLASERVICES.COMWe take care of your garden, pool, terraces and inspections, so your home is clean, secure, and ready for you to enjoy. Also ofiering: property buying & selling assistance.+34 629 872 265*covering the whole island