Orihuela Council has long struggled with fair budget distribution, with Orihuela Costa consistently receiving a disproportionately small share despite contributing significantly to municipal revenue.
This imbalance has been a recurring issue, with local officials prioritizing other areas while neglecting essential services and infrastructure in the coastal region.
In 2012, the budget dispute was particularly evident within the tri-party coalition government.
The Councillor for the Coast found himself at odds with his colleagues and the opposition Conservative PP, led by former Mayor Monica Lorente. He had requested between €5-6 million to address infrastructure issues in Orihuela Costa, yet the coastal area was allocated only €2 million from the total municipal budget of €59 million.
The council also approved a €6.3 million investment plan funded by land sales, mostly from Orihuela Costa.
The mayor assured that 40% of these funds would go to the coast, 30% to Orihuela city, and 30% to the surrounding villages. However, Claro, a local party, highlighted that this percentage only applied to land sales from 2012-2014, worth €3.7 million.
Land sold before 2005, valued at €2.6 million, was distributed differently, with Orihuela Costa receiving just 15%, while Orihuela city and nearby villages received 52% and 29%, respectively. This reinforced the pattern of unfair distribution, where the coastal region, contributing about 60% of the municipality’s revenue, received less than 10% in return.
By 2017, Orihuela Town Hall had still not prepared a new budget, forcing reliance on emergency funds. However, these funds primarily served political interests rather than addressing urgent community needs.
Of the €1.3 million allocated for emergency spending, €900,000 was used to complete a civic centre in La Aparecida, a small village with just 2,000 residents. Another €200,000 went towards a sports complex in Molins, while €57,000 was assigned to street drainage in Orihuela city.
Meanwhile, Orihuela Costa, home to a population nearly equal to that of the city, received a mere €18,000. The area faced ongoing issues such as uncleaned streets, neglected parks, and a lack of cultural and community facilities, yet these problems remained unaddressed.
In 2020, Orihuela auctioned off three valuable plots of land on the coast, generating €21 million in revenue. A significant portion of this was meant to be reinvested into Orihuela Costa, raising hopes that long-overdue improvements would finally be made. However, in a now-familiar pattern, these promises never materialized, and the funds were absorbed into the broader municipal budget with no visible benefit to the coastal region.
Year after year, Orihuela Costa continues to be overlooked, with its tax revenue used to subsidize other areas while receiving minimal reinvestment.
The disparity in funding has left the community with inadequate services and infrastructure, fuelling frustration among residents who see their contributions mismanaged.
As always, Orihuela’s promises, and their actual delivery are worlds apart. Nothing has yet materialized.
Until Orihuela Town Hall commits to fair budget allocation and transparent governance, the coastal region will remain a neglected asset, despite being one of the municipality’s most valuable economic contributors.
