“I am arguing that it is necessary to assess this situation [so that], between the Government and the municipalities, solutions are found, because the municipal councils do not have the financial conditions for the construction of housing on the scale that is necessary”, he warned.

The mayor said that the municipalities “want to be part of the solution” and gave as an example the municipality of Santiago do Cacém, “which has municipal land” that can be “a first point for solving the problem”.

In his view, the investments announced for the industrial and port complex of Sines, neighbouring Santiago do Cacém, will lead to a “brutal increase in the need for housing”, as they will “attract thousands of workers” who will resort “to the rental market”.

This “is a matter that worries us a lot, because it also affects the population of our county, namely young people who want to emancipate themselves, go to the rental market and there are no houses for them”, he warned.