Isabel Rodríguez: "The Government of Spain maintains its commitment to Toledo's historical heritage"

The Minister for Territorial Policy and Government Spokesperson, Isabel Rodríguez, has highlighted the Government of Spain's commitment to the city of Toledo and the Catedral Primada, after the damage caused by the storm 'Filomena', and has done so inside the temple, under the 'transparent': "We have acted to protect this wonderful work. We were asked for help after 'Filomena' and the Government of Spain was there to protect this magnificent Cathedral in Toledo, a land that symbolises a meeting point, understanding and coexistence between cultures, providing a wonderful heritage value beyond religion. This is a heritage that must be preserved and protected, with the will and participation of the Government of Spain".

Isabel Rodríguez, who visited Toledo Cathedral together with the Archbishop Primate of Spain, Francisco Cerro, following her meeting with the Mayoress, Milagros Tolón, and the President of the Provincial Administration, Álvaro Gutiérrez, said that after listening to the requests of the Mayoress and the Archbishopric, the Government of Spain attended to the needs of the city, which also suffered considerably from the consequences of the pandemic, with the closure of borders and its workers on ERTE for a period of time. "Today Toledo shines again in splendour and this cathedral welcomes visitors, as always, from all over the world".

The minister explained that yesterday she spoke to the Minister of Culture to inform him of the upcoming celebration in Toledo of the 8th centenary of the Catedral Primada, and said that "we will study the government's collaboration to get involved in this commemoration, in which it is also necessary to involve the private sector in the protection of our heritage and its dissemination throughout the world".

The government is also concerned about the state of the southern façade: "From the Ministries of Culture and Tourism, we are going to study the collaboration on the repair of this façade, to preserve its splendour with maximum security".

The minister thanked the mayoress for her defence of the city's heritage and the demands she is making of the Government of Spain for Toledo, pointing out that "€9 million was the estimate for everything destroyed by 'Filomena' and the budget to repair the damage and restore the city as a centre of international tourist attraction, an example of cooperation between the different administrations".

The Ministry of Territorial Policy contributes up to 50% of the amount for the repair of damage to infrastructures and municipal property caused by disasters.

City Council and Provincial Administration

The Minister for Territorial Policy and Government Spokesperson, Isabel Rodríguez, also visited the Provincial Administration, where she met with its president, Álvaro Gutiérrez, and Toledo City Council, where she met with its mayoress, Milagros Tolón, to learn about the projects for the digitalisation of local bodies.

The subsidies to Toledo City Council, which come from European funds and are managed by the Ministry of Territorial Policy, amount to €320,000. And subsidies to the Provincial Administration, for the digitalisation of municipalities with less than 20,000 inhabitants in the province, exceed €12.3 million.

The Government of Spain is going to develop investment projects in the city of Toledo representing more than €51.5 million, and the investment in the province of Toledo alone amounts to more than €111 million.

Non official translation