The consequences of many Non-Spanish EU residents failing to vote in local government elections are nowhere more evident than in Orihuela Costa.
Over recent years the area has failed to return any Councillors. The effects of this have been disastrous as the coast continues to be without most of the essential services considered fundamental to Spanish life, despite the population of 33,227 residents, virtually equal to the City of Orihuela.
When it comes to locally elected representatives, the small villages surrounding Orihuela return more Councillors than the whole of the coastal region. This situation has resulted in most having far more public services than the coast, despite their meagre populations.
The main reason why Orihuela Costa has so few public services and amenities, is that, politically, it doesn’t really exist in the eyes of Orihuela council, who treat it as a seaside resort for tourists, not a town where permanent residents live.
In the 2019 local election, of 7,300 registered voters, only 2,100 actually turned out to cast their ballot. That is why Orihuela Costa does not have representatives working for the residents living on the coast. Consequently, most public spending goes to Orihuela City and it’s surrounding villages, to the detriment of Costa residents who must shoulder the burden of municipal finance. Without sufficient Councillors representing this large population, the needs of the very diverse cultures have been marginalised, ignored and completely neglected.
Unfortunately, the number of people not registered on the Padron, who permanently live on the coast, is still far too high, resulting in the loss of approximately 15 million euros from central and regional Governments, funding that would add considerably to providing the services we need.
Furthermore, if those people did register on the Padron and exercise their right to vote, there would be the opportunity to elect our own councillors, to support and improve the services on the coast. They would make a huge difference to the amenities that we desperately need.
There are currently a number of organisations in Orihuela Costa working to achieve much of that described above, all with the common goal of electing coastal representatives to the council.
Therefore, this appeal is an olive branch to all those associations, groups and businesses, to come and work with us for that common goal.
The PIOC believe that by acting together we could achieve at least 3 Councillors. The objectives are not the ideal of independence but those of building the bridge over the AP7, a 2nd Health Centre, a Cultural Centre, Cemetery, Day Care Centre to accommodate Dementia / Alzheimers support, along with Mental Health and Disability issues, a Mother’s & Toddlers Group and a much needed Youth Club, essentially, the objectives published by AVOCA.
The important thing right now is to improve the lives of the residents by working as one for the good and benefit of the Orihuela Costa. By running together as a single, combined, unit we could reverse many of the cuts that we have suffered in recent years as we work to ensure that future municipal governments are more responsive to the needs and concerns of the Orihuela Costa.
