Andújar extends the deadline for businesses to join the Birth Bonus until October 7

The Andújar City Council has extended the deadline until October 7, 2026, for businesses to join the “Birth Aid Voucher” campaign, due to the notable disproportion between the high participation of families and the low turnout from the commercial sector. This is detailed in the extract of the Resolution dated September 10, 2026, by the Mayor-President, Francisco Carmona Limón, published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Jaén number 179, dated September 15, 2026 (pages 13672 to 13674), with BDNS identifier 928836.

The decision was made after confirming that, as of September 8, 2026, nearly 300 applications had been submitted by parents—approximately 75% of the initial forecast for the call—while only 7 businesses had formalized their application for membership, a figure significantly lower than expectations and the historical participation in similar local initiatives.

Regulatory Framework and Background

The Regulatory Bases of the subsidy were approved by Mayoral Resolution No. 2026003611, dated July 21, 2026, and its extract was published in the BOP of Jaén number 143, dated July 27, 2026, as well as in the National Subsidy Database (BDNS), under code 920861. The aid is directed at families registered in the municipality during the two years prior to the birth or adoption of their children, occurring between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2025.

The program seeks to incentivize direct consumption in local commerce, such that the aid can only be used for the purchase of eligible goods in establishments whose IAE (Economic Activities Tax) headings appear in the annex of the Bases. The initial deadline for business membership was set from August 1 to September 15, 2026.

Reasons for the Low Commercial Response

The report from the Economic Administrative Coordinator of Social Services of the Welfare, Family, and Social Inclusion Area identifies two objective circumstances that explain the low membership:

• The almost complete coincidence of the deadline with the month of August and the festive week of the September Fair, which are typical vacation and temporary closure periods for small businesses.
• The temporal overlap with another municipal campaign from the Promotion, Commerce, and Tourism Area, which generated confusion: numerous merchants assumed that registering for the “Commerce-Back to School Voucher 2026” entailed automatic membership in the “Birth Aid Voucher”.

Extension of 22 Calendar Days

The extension is based on Article 32.1 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the Common Administrative Procedure, which empowers the Administration to grant an extension of deadlines not exceeding half of the original period. 22 calendar days are added to the initial period of 46, setting the new deadline as October 7, 2026, inclusive, without altering the remaining requirements, procedure, and documentation required in the Terms and Conditions.

The resolution orders the publication of the announcement in the BOP of Jaén, in the BDNS, on the Electronic Notice Board, and on the municipal website, to report to the Plenary in the first ordinary session, and to forward the agreement to the Municipal Fund Audit Office and the Area of Welfare, Family, and Social Inclusion.

Relevance for local commerce

Maintaining the network of shops at the current small number would have severely limited the freedom of choice for the beneficiary families and distorted the socioeconomic purpose of the subsidy, whose objective is to equitably favor the plurality of the fabric of SMEs and self-employed workers with establishments open to the public in Andújar. With this extension, the City Council seeks to balance the available commercial offer so that the nearly 300 applicant families can redeem the voucher in a sufficient network of establishments, thereby reinforcing consumption in local commerce.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Jaén, No. 179, September 15, 2026, Local Administration, pp. 13672-13674 (official reference: BOP-2026-4270, BDNS 928836).