One hundred days into its current mandate, Loulé’s new municipal administration has hailed its own achievements on several projects relating to health, housing, education, and local services.
After months of planning and negotiations with national authorities, the municipality – now led by Telmo Pinto (PS) – signed a strategic cooperation agreement to launch the tender for the long-awaited Central Algarve Hospital, a project long considered vital to the quality of the region’s public health service quality.
Education initiatives are taking shape as well, the council says in a statement sent to newsrooms. A new regulation to support university students is open for public consultation, designed to increase assistance for local students pursuing higher education. In addition, two school projects – Escola Secundária Dr.ª Laura Ayres in Quarteira and Escola EB 2,3 António Sousa Agostinho – have secured over €6 million in European funding, with construction expected to begin within the next six months. At the same time, the municipality has begun implementing the Senior Health Taxi, a service designed to help older residents reach medical appointments and other essential services, aiming to improve mobility and reduce isolation.
In terms of housing, 60 new units that “had been at risk of being lost are now secured”, with deeds scheduled for later this month, while construction is nearing completion on another 150 new public housing units.
Other projects include revising the Municipal Master Plan (PDM) to support balanced development, advancing plans for a modern municipal services building, and carrying out coastal restoration work between Quarteira and Garrão, including improvements to the local breakwaters. The municipality has also launched a public e-bike system, set to provide 490 bicycles at 86 stations across Loulé, Quarteira, Almancil, Vilamoura, Vale do Lobo, and Quinta do Lago, supporting sustainable transport in the region.
According to the council, local authorities have maintained close coordination with national agencies to strengthen policing and civil protection. One major security project involves the installation of CCTV cameras in several areas of the borough, the council says.
Meanwhile, during recent storms, municipal services and emergency responders handled over 1,000 incidents, and two solidarity campaigns provided aid to communities affected in Leiria and Marinha Grande.
“This administration remains firmly committed, with renewed energy, to solving old problems and coming up with concrete solutions for the municipality and the region,” it says.
