Utrera delegates mayoral powers to Consuelo Navarro due to illness

The mayor of Utrera, Francisco Paula Jiménez Morales, has delegated his powers to the first deputy mayor, Consuelo Navarro Navarro, from September 29, 2026, until his return, due to an absence caused by illness. The decision is formalized in Mayoral Decree number 2026063335, dated September 29, 2026, signed by the general secretary, Juan Borrego López, and published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Seville number 191, dated Thursday, October 1, 2026, on page 118, with official reference BOP-SE-2026-191027.

Scope of the delegation

The decree is based on Mayoral Presidency Decree number 202505363, dated August 1, 2025, the operative part of which establishes that it is the responsibility of the deputy mayors, in order of their appointment, to substitute for the mayor in all of his functions in cases of vacancy, absence, illness, or impediment. The same resolution specifies that, in cases of substitution due to absence or illness, the deputy mayor assuming the functions may not revoke or modify the delegations granted by the mayor.

The delegation is structured into five sections:

• First: to delegate the powers of the mayor-president to the first deputy mayor of the Area of Public Safety, Environment, Public Health, and Animal Welfare, Consuelo Navarro Navarro, from September 29, 2026, until the return of the holder of the Mayor’s office.
• Second: the delegation includes the powers of direction and management, as well as the power to resolve the appropriate administrative procedures through the adoption of administrative acts affecting third parties.
• Third: the delegated body must inform the Mayor’s office, subsequently and whenever requested, of the management carried out and the provisions issued during the reference period, and prior to any decisions of significance.
• Fourth: for the delegation to be effective, it will require the acceptance of the delegated body, which will be understood as tacitly granted if no express statement of non-acceptance is made within three business days following its notification.
• Fifth: to notify the interested parties and all areas, departments, and administrative units of the resolution, as well as its publication in the Official Gazette of the Province.

Legal basis and management control

The decree invokes article 23.3 of Law 7/1985, of April 2, Regulating the Bases of the Local Regime, and is developed in accordance with articles 44 and 47 of the Regulation on the Organization, Operation, and Legal Regime of Local Entities, approved by Royal Decree 2568/1986, of November 28, in accordance with articles 9 and 10 of Law 40/2015, of October 1, on the Legal Regime of the Public Sector.

The third section expressly refers to Article 115 of the aforementioned regulation, which obliges the delegated body to report on its management and to communicate decisions of special relevance in advance. In this way, the Mayor’s Office retains the capacity for monitoring the actions adopted during the period of absence, even though the signing and resolution of files pass into the hands of the first deputy mayor.

Background: a formula already used in August

This is not the first time that Consuelo Navarro Navarro has assumed the competencies of the Mayor’s Office in 2026. Mayor’s Presidency Decree number 202604767, dated July 29, 2026, had already delegated competencies to her on an accidental basis between August 3 and August 30 of that year. That delegation ceased to be effective through a resolution published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Seville number 170, dated Wednesday, September 2, 2026, upon the reinstatement of Francisco Paula Jiménez Morales as the head of the Mayor’s Office-Presidency.

The difference between both cases is relevant: the August delegation was accidental in nature and had a closed timeframe, whereas the one now published extends until the effective return of the mayor, without a predetermined date, and covers all powers of direction, management, and resolution.

Impact on municipal governance

The measure places the first deputy mayor in charge of the ordinary management of the Utrera City Council for a period of indeterminate duration, with the capacity to issue administrative acts affecting third parties. For residents and companies processing files with the City Council, the valid reference as of September 29, 2026, is the first deputy mayor of the Area of Public Safety, Environment, Public Health, and Animal Welfare, without this altering the delegations already granted by the mayor, which cannot be revoked or modified for the duration of the substitution.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Seville, no. 191, Thursday, October 1, 2026, Local Administration, p. 118 (official reference: BOP-SE-2026-191027).