A plan encouraging couples to have their babies in Alcoutim by providing them with financial support throughout the child’s first three years of life is being hailed a success by the local council, which says that it has received 10 requests from expectant parents this year alone.
The number is significant if compared to 2014, the year in which the scheme was launched and in which only five babies were born in the borough.
Alcoutim is an aging borough where very few babies are born, a tendency that the council tackled four years ago with the introduction of this programme.
The idea is that expectant parents receive €5,000 per baby. However, the money is only available on a refund basis, and the refunds will only be paid for child-related purchases from local shops, or for nursery education fees.
As the council explains: “The programme has a double objective which also aims to stimulate the local economy.”
