The town of El Burgo, population around 2,000 people, has increased the size of its ‘baby cheque’ from €300 to €1,000 in order to encourage procreation within the municipality. In 2012, only five new babies arrived on the scene, whereas there were nearly two dozen deaths.
At €300, the Council decided this was insufficient incentive and have now increased the cheque to €1,000.
To qualify for the baby cheque, and as a safeguard against opportunists, one of the parents must have been registered in the municipality for three years and the newborn must also then be registered on the local census (padrón).
The Council is concerned about the shrinking size of families in the municipality and the tendency of young people to move away, usually for employment reasons.