With less than 48 hours until Seville's Christmas lights switch on, broken negotiations between the city hall and local police have jeopardized the Christmas Plan, budgeted at 5.6 million euros for security. An extraordinary plenary session on Wednesday aims to approve it, but it hinges on Vox's vote amid union opposition. Officers warn of inadequate resources for hundreds of festive activities.
Seville's city hall, led by PP's José Luis Sanz, is in a standoff with local police unions over the 2025 Christmas Plan. Disputes center on duration and funding: the council proposes 5.6 million euros to designate special shifts for weekends and holidays from November 28 to December 21, plus all days from December 22 to January 7. Officers demand 8 million, as in 2024, and continuous coverage from this Friday to December 7 to handle weekday events.
The municipal audit office has raised a flag, noting that extra hours funding ran out in April, rendering May-to-October payments legally invalid. On Wednesday, an extraordinary plenary called by Vox, the PP's budget partner, will try to override this and approve the budget adjustment. Vox, after meeting unions, is weighing abstention or opposition, while PSOE rejects overriding the audit and may abstain on the budget, and Podemos-IU leans toward no.
"We don't trust this mayor," says Luis Val, president of Seville's majority Municipal Police Union. He adds that overtime from Holy Week, the 2024 Fair, and the 2022 UEFA final remains unpaid. CSIF delegate Santiago Raposo stresses: "The council wants police on weekends when there's more work, but not weekdays to save money, yet events are scheduled then".
During San Clemente day, the patron of local police, Sanz pledged full support and backing to the force, constrained by budget and law. If the plenary fails, the 2023 plan would apply. About 500 of 1,000 operational officers (700 core plus 300 reinforcements) must secure around 100 activities, including Sunday's Sevilla-Betis derby. Unions threaten urgent legal challenges to any unnegotiated approval, though they cannot refuse to work starting Friday.