The Cabo Roig and Lomas Residents’ Association (AVCRL) has publicly stated that it no longer trusts the mayor, who it criticises for failing to fulfil his electoral programme for the coast.
A large group of residents attended last Thursday’s plenary session to support the Association president, Tomás Moreno, who lectured the mayor on his poor performance, his broken promises and the lack of confidence that the public has toward the government that he has led for the past 14 months.
In a calculated act, Moreno spoke of the rupture between the coastal residents and their political representatives. Under the pretext of a question submitted by a member of the public, in this case to demand a gesture as symbolic as holding a plenary session for the first time at the Playa Flamenca Town Hall, the president of the main neighbourhood group on the coast listed one by one all the pending issues of the City Council with its coastal residents.
In making his series of demands he said how let down the residents of Orihuela Costa feel with the PP/Vox coalition, based on the lack of results of their first year of government.
Moreno pointed out that in February 2023, before the municipal elections were held, he had a meeting with Vegara in which the future mayor expressed his desire to transform Orihuela Costa. “Today, surrounded by a group of residents from the coast and representing more than 700 members (and their families) who belong to our association, I come to tell you, Mr. Mayor, that, after a year of government, that trust has been broken, due to your failure to keep your word.”
Moreno called for increased rubbish collection, the replacement of containers, increased street cleaning, an end to the dumping of rubble, improvements to parks and gardens, improved accessibility. He also echoed the protests from the Parents’ Associations of the two coastal schools that were staged in front of the coastal Town Hall just a few weeks ago, to demand the immediate construction of a new school, in view of the current saturation of classrooms. He then went on to highlight many other improvements in infrastructure, such as the second health centre for the residents of the coast.
Everyone knows that the problems in Orihuela Costa have been a constant, not only since the beginning of the current legislature, but for many years before. The exponential growth of the population has not been accompanied by investment and a growth at the same level in terms of infrastructure and services, so the demands are constantly increasing.
The delay in the third school in Orihuela Costa, the collapse of the Aguamarina health centre and the lack of services on the beaches, with contracts for beach bars still to be awarded, are just some of the examples that add to the deficiency of basic services in cleaning, rubbish collection, street cleaning and the maintenance of green areas.
As Moreno enumerated his list of demands, his colleagues from the Orihuela Costa held up printed sheets with illustrative images, highlighting many of the deficiencies that he was listing to the mayor.
These demands were also passed on to the Orihuela Costa councillor, Manuel Mestre.
Moreno summed up by saying, “we want our elderly to be cared for and not left to their own devices, and for our young people not to have to go to work in other countries due to the lack of jobs.” And he concluded: “Finally, we ask for something as simple as removing the weeds that proliferate along the roads and pavements of the coast. I remind you that you said in the media, before becoming mayor, that you could not understand why something so easy could not be done; which is something that we both agree with,” he concluded.
In his response, the mayor, Pepe Vegara, who was caught out by Moreno’s speech, but who did not interrupt despite its length, maintained a conciliatory and diplomatic position.
He said that he deeply regretted “having broken the trust that you spoke of earlier, but it is a trust that I hope I can recover sooner rather than later.”
In response to the question about his failure to hold plenary sessions on the coast, he pointed out that it is of “practically no inconvenience” and that he will study it, but that, at the moment, the Playa Flamenca Town Hall does not have the necessary recording and broadcasting equipment.
Vegara also expressed his willingness to hold a meeting with the neighbourhood association “and provide all the explanations, whenever you want.”
The mayor’s words, however, did not calm the mood of the AVCRL Group, who left the room visibly angry and shouting: “Do something for the coast, you have abandoned it,” “shameless,” “it’s all dirty.” Their actions were closely followed by the attentive gaze of half a dozen local police officers, who took note but maintained a watchful silence from the side.
Following the meeting, in response to questions from the Spanish press, Moreno said that he positively valued his visit to the plenary session, highlighting the importance of putting the demands directly to the mayor himself.
He added that he will certainly be requesting a meeting with the mayor and that he has also formally requested an appointment with the president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, who knows the Orihuela Costa well. He said that he wants to convey first-hand to the head of the Consell the deficiencies that the people of Orihuela Costa suffer in their daily lives.
If you wish to join this truly International and Non Political association, AVCRL, and help with the ongoing fight for a better Orihuela Costa, follow the link to their Facebook Page and fill in the membership form….https://www.facebook.com/avcrlorihuelacosta
