The two premises intended to serve as the Entrenaranjos Multipurpose Civic Centre in Orihuela remain empty and unused, nearly two years after being rented in September 2023. Since the signing of the lease, the City Council has paid over €58,000 in rent. After the contract expired last September, the local government renewed it for another year at a monthly cost of €2,485 — yet the buildings remain closed.
Back in January, the PSOE questioned the matter during a council session, highlighting that the premises were still shuttered despite a monthly rent of €2,420. At the time, Citizens’ Participation Councillor Anabel García (Vox) said the space was being prepared, that furniture had been invoiced, and that the centre would open shortly. Nine months later, however, nothing has changed. “Not even the minor contract needed to purchase the furniture has been completed,” said Socialist Councillor Isidro Grao from the steps of the closed civic centre.
“Wasteful Spending”
“The lease has been extended, and residents are still without this service,” Grao said, calling the situation “an example of the inaction of PP and Vox.” He added that the premises “stand as the clearest symbol of this government’s neglect and waste,” since “two years later, there is still no service or activity — only ongoing expenses.”
Grao criticized the council for continuing to pay for empty buildings while the city lacks basic services, with complaints coming from neighbourhoods, villages, and the coast. He also noted that Orihuela continues to lose grants and pay interest for returned funds, even as the government spends thousands on unused premises and maintains a staff of advisers, super-advisers, and managers whose high salaries “do not translate into effective management.”
The premises were rented in September 2023 to serve as a Civic Participation Centre which was to include a medical clinic and offices for Employment, Industry, Agriculture, Rural Development, and the Placement Agency, but still remain empty 25 months after their approval.
Although the centres were reportedly ready for use, they remain closed, with the city committed to paying €58,080 over two years — with the possibility of extending the lease for three more years.
