Palma's 2026 Budget: More Police, E‑buses and Social Services — and a Narrow Majority

Palma presents 2026 budget – security takes precedence

On Monday morning, in a light drizzle on the Passeig des Born, Mayor Jaime Martínez presented the draft city budget for 2026. The figures sound impressive: the city's budget stands at €623.9 million, and including municipal companies the total comes to just under €956.2 million.

Where the money goes

Clear focus: security. That item grows significantly and is by far the largest single area — in numbers: around €121 million, a marked increase over the current year. On paper that means, among other things, 50 new positions in the Policía Local, planning for a new police station in Nou Llevant and a revised deployment plan. Martínez repeatedly emphasised this, in a rough voice, somewhat businesslike, as if the measures were close to implementation.

A second major block concerns transport: the city wants to purchase 50 electric buses for the EMT — part of a four‑year plan with a total of 113 vehicles. For the bike‑share system BiciPalma, an additional 23 stations and about 200 e‑bikes are planned. Overall, around €90 million is planned for transport investments.

Social services and major projects

About €62 million is earmarked for the social sector. This includes more short‑term care places (84 new places are mentioned) and expanded services for women who have been victims of domestic violence. The city also plans to redesign the Plaza Mayor; the tender is scheduled between May and June, with construction aimed to start in the third quarter of 2026. Around €9 million over two years is reserved for social housing.

The personnel budget is growing — to about €214 million — which is causing internal administrative debate: more staff means higher ongoing costs.

Politics: support and criticism

Crucial for the progress of the draft is the support of the Vox group on the city council. Its representative said after the presentation that the plan implements points his party had demanded. Opposition parties such as PSIB‑PSOE, Més per Palma and Unidas Podemos sharply criticised the process: they complain that the time window for reviewing the budget documents is too short, and that audits and debates risk remaining superficial.

On the street I heard mixed reactions: a shop owner on Carrer de Sant Jaume said he hopes for more safety in the evenings, while a social worker insisted on sustainable funding for social services. These are the usual tensions — security versus welfare, investments versus running costs.

All in all it is an ambitious plan that moves a lot, but also leaves questions unanswered. The budget debate in the coming weeks will show whether the commitments are solid — or whether parts of the budget will need to be tightened again.