They put the controversial Mireia Ingla in charge of local TV stations: salary 'of €95,000'

Former mayor of Sant Cugat del Vallès, Mireia Ingla (ERC), has been appointed as the new manager of Xarxa Audiovisual Local (XAL). This is a network of local media outlets funded by the Barcelona Provincial Council. The appointment, approved this Thursday at an extraordinary general meeting, received support from ERC, PSC, Junts, and Comuns. In contrast, Vox voted against it and Partido Popular chose to abstain.

Ingla will take office starting August 1, replacing Antoni Molons. The new manager will receive a salary of more than €95,000 per year. The public consortium has an average audience share of just 1.1% in Catalonia. Despite this, it has a budget close to €28 million.

A controversial figure leading an entity with little reach

A lawyer and mediator by profession, Mireia Ingla was mayor from 2019 to 2023 for ERC and, after losing the position, moved to the private sector. Her political career has been marked by alignment with the most symbolic positions of the separatism movement. Her rise to the head of XAL has been interpreted by the opposition as typical of a "placement agency" within the separatism ecosystem.

Meanwhile, from Vox, provincial deputy Jordi de la Fuente has denounced what he considers "another example of waste and ideological sectarianism with public money." In his speech, he criticized that XAL "relocates figures" while millions in funds are allocated to productions with little social relevance:

Family precedents

Ingla's appointment doesn't occur in a vacuum. Her name was already surrounded by controversy when, during her time as mayor, her son Ignasi Subirà Ingla was appointed chief of staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Despite his young age, Subirà had already held several trusted positions in the Catalan administration, including a post at the government's delegation in Brussels. His appointment with a salary of more than €82,000 per year was described by the local opposition as a clear case of political nepotism.

These precedents reinforce criticism about the use of public positions as compensation or continuity for political careers. For many, it is clear that Ingla's rise to the management of XAL is just another episode in the network of favors among parties.