La Rioja expands subsidies for municipal bailiff personnel

The Regional Ministry of Local Policy, Infrastructure, and the Fight against Depopulation of the Government of La Rioja has approved Order PID/43/2026, of August 20, which modifies the regulatory bases for subsidies intended to finance the costs of bailiff personnel (personal alguacil) for Riojan city councils. The regulation is published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja number 169, of September 3, 2026, with official reference BOR-A-20260903-I–73, and enters into force the day following its publication.

The order, signed by Minister Daniel Osés Ramírez, reforms Order PID/56/2025, of September 24, which established the regulatory bases for these grants. The main change is that the subsidy is no longer limited to bailiff positions filled permanently—that is, those held by career civil servants or permanent contractual staff.

Expanded Beneficiaries

Article 1.2 of the modified regulation restricted the aid to positions held in ownership under Royal Legislative Decree 5/2015, of October 30, which approves the revised text of the Law of the Basic Statute of Public Employees. With the new wording, positions held by interim civil servants or temporary contractual staff may also be subsidized, provided there is a legal appointment.

Furthermore, the circle of beneficiaries has been expanded. Municipalities of up to one thousand inhabitants remain eligible for subsidies, but now those with three or more separate population centers and a bailiff who provides services exclusively in those centers may also access the aid, regardless of their population.

Amounts and Percentages

The order maintains the population brackets and the subsidy percentages regarding personnel costs, as well as the maximum amounts per city council:

• Municipalities with fewer than 301 inhabitants or those requesting aid for separate centers: 90%, up to 25,000 euros.
• Municipalities from 301 to 500 inhabitants: 70%, up to 15,000 euros.
• Municipalities from 501 to 1,000 inhabitants: 50%, up to 8,000 euros.

As a general rule, only one bailiff position per city council is subsidized, although municipalities of up to one thousand inhabitants with three or more separate centers may receive two grants: one for the main center and another for the separate centers.

Procedure and Appeals

The reform also introduces procedural updates. It specifies that the ex officio verification of requirements by the General Directorate competent in local government matters will be carried out through the actions it deems necessary, in line with Decree 14/2006, of February 16, regulating the legal regime of subsidies in the Riojan public sector.

Additionally, sections on notifications and appeals are incorporated. Resolutions regarding granting, denial, and payment will be notified in accordance with Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the Common Administrative Procedure, and an optional appeal for reversal may be filed against them within one month, or a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the High Court of Justice of La Rioja within two months. Annexes I and II for the application and the certification of the Municipal Secretariat are also updated.

The transitional provision stipulates that the grant corresponding to the year of entry into force shall cover the period between January 1 and December 31 of that same year, provided that compliance with the requirements is proven. With this reform, the Riojan Executive seeks to facilitate the financing of an essential service in small municipalities and dispersed population centers, within the framework of its strategy against depopulation.

Source: Official Gazette of La Rioja, no. 169, September 3, 2026, I. General Provisions, page 15181 (official reference: BOR-A-20260903-I–73).