The Socialist Party (PSOE) in Orihuela has strongly opposed the decision by the PP-VOX local government to change the management model for the municipal waste and street cleaning services. Spokesperson Carolina Gracia criticized the move to transfer services to the municipal company Gestión Medio Ambiental SL, arguing that the change is politically motivated and not based on technical or economic justification.
Gracia claims the government has deliberately underfunded the public waste service to portray it as inefficient and justify the shift away from full public control. She accused the administration of using the restructuring to benefit specific individuals, notably Dámaso Aparicio, who is expected to become the new manager with a salary exceeding €100,000 despite what she described as a record of poor performance.
The PSOE also questioned the claimed €600,000 in annual savings, citing a lack of transparency around labor costs and personnel changes. They argue the new model could weaken workers’ rights and degrade service quality. Gracia emphasized that, if there is a change in government, PSOE would reverse the decision.
Additionally, the same company would take over road maintenance in Orihuela Costa. PSOE opposed this move as well, blaming PP-VOX for delays in renewing the relevant contracts and criticizing the use of municipal companies as a workaround to privatize services.
“This government isn’t solving problems—it’s creating them,” Gracia concluded.
