Madrid’s Political Subsidies Surge to €5M: Audit Office Flags Lack of Control and Objective Criteria
Madrid, Spain – Political parties represented in the Madrid Assembly-PP, Más Madrid, PSOE, and Vox-are poised to receive a staggering total of over €5 million in public subsidies. The regional chamber, presided over by Enrique Ossorio, approved a 4% increase in public funds for parliamentary groups at the end of last year. This decision comes despite repeated warnings from the Madrid Court of Accounts, which has consistently expressed doubts about the criteria and regulation governing these allocations.
The base subsidy for each group has risen to €560,368.95, a slight increase from the previous €538,816.30. Additionally, an extra €20,786.21 will be allocated for each elected deputy, also up from €19,986.74. The Assembly’s Bureau also agreed to a fourth salary increase in two years for full-time deputies, with a base gross annual salary of €4,039.79, supplemented by individual allowances for parliamentary spokespersons and secretaries, among other positions.
The Beneficiaries: Who Gets What?
The Popular Party (PP) is set to receive the largest share of these funds, totaling €2,015,403.65, owing to its absolute majority of 70 deputies. Más Madrid and PSOE, each with 27 representatives, will receive €1,121,596.62. Even Vox, despite its vocal opposition to public subsidies, will receive €789,017.26 for its eleven seats in the Vallecas Chamber. In 2024, the last year for which data is available, the parties collectively received just over €4.8 million.
Audit Office Warnings: A Pattern of Concern
This increase in subsidies was approved despite explicit warnings from the Court of Accounts. The latest report on the General Account of the Community of Madrid, published by the body on December 23 and covering 2024, highlighted that the Assembly had already approved a 10% increase in fixed subsidies and a 12% increase in variable subsidies in 2023. At that time, the Court emphasized that these amounts were a “discretionary act” that needed review. “The setting by the Bureau of the amounts delivered to parliamentary groups is a discretionary act, without the existence of objective criteria for calculating the amount to be subsidized having been accredited,” stated the body chaired by Joaquín Leguina.
The report, while acknowledging the “legality and regularity” of the accounts presented by Madrid’s political groups, critically notes that “no audit of their economic-financial activity is carried out, which would correspond to comprehensive and independent audits of what the analysis of the General Account is.” It further reiterates that the conclusions of the report on subsidies allocated to parliamentary groups in 2015, 2016, and 2017 are “fully applicable” for 2024.
The Court of Accounts insists on the urgent need for greater control, deeming the current systems “insufficient.” “Although, in the opinion of this Court of Accounts, it would be convenient to regulate the control that the Intervention of the Assembly should carry out, given that such subsidies derive from credits assigned to its budget, and the existing regulation, as specific regulations, is insufficient,” the auditing body added.
Assembly’s Justification: Maintaining Purchasing Power
The Madrid Assembly, for its part, justifies the increases by referencing Royal Decree-Law 14/2025 from the central government, concerning urgent measures on remuneration in the public sector, applicable to deputies and civil servants. “This has been the Bureau’s procedure since 2024, when Royal Decree-Law 4/2024 was applied to civil servants and deputies,” explained sources from the regional chamber.
Regarding the subsidies specifically, the Assembly argues that they are intended to cover the personnel costs of parliamentary groups, such as advisors. “Subsidies to parliamentary groups given by the Assembly have been updated in the same terms, as a consequence of them being largely destined to cover the salaries of their staff. In both cases, it is an update of remuneration to maintain their purchasing power in the face of the increase in the cost of living,” the same sources concluded.
Despite these justifications, the Madrid Court of Accounts’ consistent warnings highlight a deeper issue of transparency and accountability in the allocation of public funds to political parties in the region.
