Less money from central government

FRANCESC Antich, the leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) in the Balearics, said yesterday that money to be invested next year by central government in the Islands has fallen substantially because of conflict between the central and regional administrations over highway funding. Antich claimed that Madrid's budget for the Balearics will now run to 40 million euros less than expected and said that the regional Socialist party is to put forward a series of amendments to central government so that they may look more favourably on revising the sums of money to be set aside for the Balearics in 2006. There are, claimed Antich, a number of really important issues that require funding which are not in the Budget. Highway funding for the Islands had been agreed between Jaume Matas, the current Balearic leader and the previous Spanish prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar. Matas is claiming the new central government is reneging, allegedly illegally, on the original agreement.