Barcelona’s first democratic city council, headed by mayor Narcís Serra, was formed on 19 April 1979. With a total of 43 councillors, the new council opened the City Hall doors to a new, democratic era. Most of the new political leaders lacked experience in municipal management but made up for that with their drive and their firm commitment to the electorate. However, they faced a situation that did not bode well: the city treasury was bankrupt. This forced them to wage a battle with central government for the speedy enactment of new local finance legislation to meet public demand.

In Barcelona, the Pact for Progress, a government agreement between the PSC, PSUC, ERC and CiU, ensured the votes of over 80% of the councillors would be cast for Narcís Serra to become mayor. The new city government team comprised representatives of those four parties, leaving only CC-UCD in opposition. The character of this city council was shown by the creation of new government areas that put citizens at the heart of political action, with councillors for Decentralisation and Citizen Participation, Culture and Sport, Youth and Youth Centres, and Social Services, which was unheard of at the time.