Ribera Baja definitively approves its social services regulations

The Ribera Baja/Erriberabeitia City Council has finalized the approval of a package of municipal regulations organizing the municipality’s social services, after no claims were filed during the public exhibition period. The agreement, initially adopted in an extraordinary session of the corporate plenary on December 12, 2025, is published in full in the Official Gazette of the Historical Territory of Álava (BOTHA) number 106, dated September 16, 2026, with reference 2026-02596.

The finalization occurs in accordance with article 49 c) of Law 7/1985, of April 2, regulating the Bases of Local Regime, and its full publication is supported by article 70.2 of the same regulation. The agreement, signed in Ribabellosa on September 7, 2026, by the mayor, M. Carmen Zamorano Rubio, shall apply from its publication, although the various regulations set their entry into force on January 1, 2026.

A comprehensive framework for social care

The regulatory package governs the provision of social services under municipal jurisdiction, within the framework of the Basque Social Services System and Law 12/2008, of December 5, on Social Services, as well as Decree 185/2015, of October 6, regarding the portfolio of benefits and services. The approved documents are:

• Regulation of the home help service, of an assistive and preventive nature to promote remaining in the home.
• Regulation of the socio-educational and psychosocial intervention service, oriented toward social inclusion.
• Regulations for the support service for caregivers (sheet 1.4 of Decree 185/2015).
• Regulation of the rural day care center for the elderly.
• Regulations for the shelter for women victims of gender-based violence.
• Regulation of the accommodation and day care service for the elderly in municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants.
• Ordinance on the economic benefit linked to the service (PEVS).

Shelter and economic benefit

The shelter (sheet 1.9.1 of Decree 185/2015) offers low-intensity temporary accommodation for women victims of gender-based violence who do not require protection measures. The initial stay is 4 months, extendable up to a maximum of 8 months, and the service is free of charge, financed by the Public Administration.

The economic benefit linked to the service (sheet 3.4.1) is structured into two modalities:

• Ordinary modality, for access to services and centers outside the public system for periods exceeding 45 days or nights per year.
• Respite modality, limited to a maximum of 45 days or nights per year, to support caregivers who require rest.

The benefit is purpose-specific, periodic, and non-transferable, and is granted to persons at risk of dependency (23-24 points on the BVD) or those with recognized Grade 1 dependency.

Access and appeals

Access to services is organized through scales that assess the need for support, the socio-family situation, housing, and economic status, with scores ranging from 0 to 100. An administrative appeal may be filed against the agreement before the Administrative Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Vitoria-Gasteiz within two months of its publication.

With this approval, Ribera Baja provides a stable and homogeneous legal framework for municipal social care, guaranteeing that people can remain in their environment, providing support to caregivers, and offering a specific response to victims of gender-based violence, in a rural municipality of the Historical Territory of Álava.

Source: Official Gazette of the Historical Territory of Álava, no. 106, September 16, 2026, II - Local Administration (official reference: 2026-02596).