The Madeira Regional Section of the Court of Auditors has published an audit report that found several irregularities in support granted by the Regional Government to the 43 Casas do Povo of Madeira during 2022 and 2023. The review detected no financial infractions, but it did identify problems including double funding, missing procedure manuals, and delays in recovering surplus money. Around €7 million was transferred in total, with half of that amount used for the Support Programme for the Guarantee of Social Stability (PROAGES), while a third covered operating costs and local social, economic, and cultural initiatives. Another 10%, or about €676,000, was assigned to promoting culture and traditions linked to agriculture and rural life. The Court’s detailed examination of the Casas do Povo in Ponta do Sol and Curral das Freiras found that some expenses were submitted to more than one funding body to support cumulative aid. It also said that four community centres — Camacha, Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol, and Curral das Freiras — did not have accounting systems that separated spending by funding source. The report noted that restitution of surplus PROAGES funds, totalling €256,380 in 2022 and €189,022 in 2023, only began in mid-2025, and it ordered the heads of the two audited community centres, along with the Regional Secretaries for Inclusion, Labour and Youth, and Agriculture and Fisheries, to report compliance steps by the 30th of November 2026.
