The City Council of Soria is making progress in its preparations for the upcoming Christmas season by awarding a contract for the city's festive lighting and approving the tender for the outdoor nativity scene in Plaza Mayor. Mayor Javier Antón announced these agreements during a recent Local Government Board meeting, which also addressed various initiatives related to housing rehabilitation, tourism promotion, infrastructure, and municipal aid.
The Christmas lighting and decoration contract has been awarded to Iluminaciones Ximenez, S.A. for an annual amount of €247,371.43, plus VAT, totalling €299,319.43 including taxes. The company, which provided the festive decorations for Soria last year, will continue to deliver this service for the next three Christmas seasons.
The contract outlines the terms for the supply of Christmas lighting and decoration elements on a rental basis, as well as the installation, assembly, commissioning, programming, maintenance, and dismantling services for the 2026/2027, 2027/2028, and 2028/2029 seasons. The City Council is committed to responsible ornamental lighting that combines aesthetic appeal and public space ambience with sustainability and energy efficiency criteria. The contract includes the use of new energy-efficient technologies, principles of circular economy, sustainable design, regulated hours, and service guarantees.
The festive lighting is intended to enhance the city's atmosphere during this period, particularly in commercial areas and gathering spaces, balancing the appeal of decorations with responsible resource use.
In parallel, the Local Government Board has approved the tender for the outdoor nativity scene in Plaza Mayor, with a base budget of €56,579.60, including VAT, which will again be part of the Christmas ambience in the city centre. During his address, Javier Antón indicated that the municipal plan is to switch on the lights around the December bridge, although the exact date will be confirmed later once the campaign organisation is finalised.
Another significant matter discussed at the Local Government Board was the approval of new aid for residential rehabilitation, particularly within the Planned Residential Rehabilitation Area (ERRP) of San Pedro and the Carmen area, funded by the European NextGenerationEU funds. The mayor noted that the programme, which is also linked to urban regeneration efforts, has a budget of €4 million and has already identified over €2 million in aid through provisional, definitive, and supplementary grants.
The rehabilitation efforts will cover 11 streets and 15 buildings in the city, including San Martín, Postas, Real, Obispo Acosta, Moncayo, El Carmen, Santísima Trinidad, Costanilla del Matadero, Arboleda, plaza Tirso de Molina, and travesía Pozo Albar.
The Local Government also addressed the calls for the municipal Erasmus+ mobility programme, with application bases and deadlines previously announced. Coordinated by the City Council of Soria and funded by SEPIE with a grant of €148,203, the project offers 32 places: 25 for intermediate vocational training students, three for teachers, and four for accompanying persons. Antón emphasised the importance of providing vocational training students with international mobility opportunities similar to those available in higher education, as well as the collaboration of the seven participating educational centres and the involved administrations.
The mayor highlighted this programme as an example of the results that can be achieved through institutional cooperation, facilitating new educational and professional experiences for the youth of Soria.
In terms of tourism, a direct grant of €20,000 has been approved for ASOHTUR to develop gastronomic promotion activities for the capital during 2026, with an advance payment of 50%. Additionally, the Local Government has approved the third and fourth certifications for the works on the new roundabout connecting Las Casas, Tejera, and Santo Tomé, amounting to €31,642.33 and €68,761.86, respectively. Both certifications total €100,404.19, including VAT.
