Gran Canaria approves the regulations for the institute that will manage its museums

The Plenary of the Cabildo Insular de Gran Canaria definitively approved on October 8, 2026, the Organic Regulation of the Institute for the Integral Management of the Museums of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, the body that will assume the direction and administration of the island’s museum network. The full text is published in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands (Boletín Oficial de Canarias) no. 222, of November 6, 2026, in the announcement of October 27, 2026 (document no. 3841, section V, page 40232). The regulation comes into force the day after its full publication, that is, November 7, 2026.

The definitive approval came after resolving the claims submitted during the public information period and once the 15-day period provided for in article 81.1 of the Organic Regulation of Government and Administration of the Cabildo had elapsed. The publication is made in compliance with article 70.2 of Law 7/1985, of April 2, regulating the bases of the local regime, and article 103 of Law 3/2026, of June 16, on island councils (cabildos insulares). The announcement is signed by the Government Councilor for Culture, Guacimara Medina Pérez, by delegation of the president through Decree no. 28, of June 24, 2023.

The Institute is created as a special administrative body without its own legal personality, in accordance with article 85.2 of Law 7/1985 and articles 101 and 102 of Royal Legislative Decree 781/1986, of April 18. The regulation is organized into 21 articles, two additional provisions, and one final provision, and takes as a precedent the Island Institute for the Integral Management of the World Heritage and the Biosphere Reserve of Gran Canaria.

Seven museums and the future opening of the MUBEA

Article 3 assigns to the new body the museums that until now were managed by the Museums Service of the Cabildo:

• The Casa de Colón Museum, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
• The Pérez Galdós House Museum, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
• The Cueva Pintada Museum and Archaeological Park, in Gáldar.
• The Antonio Padrón House Museum, in Gáldar.
• The León y Castillo House Museum, in Telde.
• The Tomás Morales House Museum, in Moya.
• The Museum of Fine Arts of Gran Canaria, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

The creation and assignment of new museums will be the responsibility of the Plenary of the Cabildo upon the proposal of the Board of Directors. The preamble places the reason allowing for a solid island network plan in the “upcoming opening” of the great Museum of Fine Arts (MUBEA), and emphasizes that the demand for the opening of that museum dates back to the end of the 19th century.

A board of up to nine members and professional management

The government of the Institute is structured into three parts: the Board of Directors, the Presidency and Vice Presidencies, and the Management. The Board will have a maximum of nine members, with the Presidency of the Institute as an ex officio president and the head of the Department with competencies in Museums as the Vice Presidency. Added to these are:

• Three island councilors in proportion to their participation in the Plenary commissions.
• Four technical members appointed by the Island Government Council: the head of the Legal Advisory Office or a civil servant with a law degree; a civil servant with a degree in Economics or Business Administration; a civil servant with a degree in Architecture or Engineering; and the director of an island museum.

The Board will hold ordinary sessions once per semester, with notice of at least two business days in advance, a minimum quorum of half of its members and never fewer than three, and agreements by simple majority. The Presidency of the Cabildo will hold that of the Institute unless it appoints the counselor of Museums to the position; it may appoint up to two Vice Presidencies. The Management, a single-person executive body, will be appointed by the Island Government Council upon the proposal of the Board of Directors.

Citizen participation and budgetary control

The regulation creates a Technical Council, which will meet at least once a year and includes the Management, the heads of service, and the directors of each museum, as well as three complementary bodies without decision-making power: the Municipal Museum Committee, with representation from the city councils where the museums are located; the Citizen Participation Commission, open to associations and cultural collectives; and the Scientific Advisory Committee, comprising Canarian universities, R&D centers, and independent experts.

On the economic level, the Institute will have its own budgetary section within the General Budget of the Cabildo and will maintain analytical or cost accounting, with the publication of balance sheets and settlements. Procurement files will generally pass through the General Procurement Board of the Cabildo, and final resolutions may be appealed via an administrative appeal (recurso de alzada) before the Presidency of the Cabildo. The personnel of the Museum Service are organically and functionally assigned to the Institute under the same terms and conditions.

The entry into force of the regulation makes Gran Canaria the first Canarian island with a specialized museum management body of this scale, with seven facilities spread across five municipalities and a model that seeks administrative agility without creating a new entity with legal personality. For visitors and for the island’s cultural sector, the change will translate into coordinated monthly cultural programming, its own budget, and stable channels for citizen participation and scientific advice.

Source: Official Gazette of the Canary Islands, no. 222, of November 6, 2026, section V (Announcements), page 40232 (official reference: announcement no. 3841).