The PSOE says the €115,000 announced for Orihuela’s municipal swimming pools “is not an investment, but the bill for three years of neglect.” Socialist councillor Luis Quesada said the council is acting only because the health authorities require it to correct breaches, “not because there is any plan to improve sports facilities.”
Orihuela, 9 July 2026
The Socialist Municipal Group has criticised the announcement made by Sports Councillor Víctor Sigüenza regarding works at the outdoor municipal swimming pools, arguing that the project is not the result of planning or a commitment to improve sports infrastructure, but rather an improvised last-minute response to problems that the Partido Popular government has allowed to worsen over the past three years.
Socialist councillor Luis Quesada criticised the council for waiting until the start of summer to put the works out to tender, despite the contract having an execution period of 45 days.
“This government always arrives late. It does not plan, it does not prevent problems, and it only acts when it has no other choice. They are trying to present as an investment what is really the result of years of neglect,” he said.
Quesada recalled that the contract’s own technical report acknowledges that the works are required because of breaches of health regulations and a lack of maintenance. At the swimming pools in San Bartolomé, La Murada and Ociopía, the facilities must be adapted to comply with Health Decree 85/2018. In Orihuela Costa, the document attributes the repairs to deterioration caused by the absence of preventive maintenance.
“These works are not being carried out because the PP wants to improve the pools, but because it has no alternative if it wants to keep them open. They are last-minute patches to avoid problems with the health authorities, when these works should have been planned months ago,” Quesada said.
For the PSOE, the contract reflects the sports policy of the PP and Vox government throughout the current term: no planning, no maintenance and no long-term investment. As an example, the Socialists pointed to the condition of the Palacio del Agua, which they described as “the main municipal sports facility and also the clearest reflection of the government’s neglect.”
They say leaks continue, the roof still has no definitive solution, and repeated breakdowns are causing constant service interruptions, forcing the swimming pool to close on several occasions.
“Users are tired of paying for a service that repeatedly stops operating normally. In three years, we have not seen a single serious project to modernise the Palacio del Agua. Only temporary repairs while the facility continues to deteriorate,” Quesada said.
The councillor also criticised the lack of measures in response to the heatwave affecting the municipality.
“While many councils are adopting measures to protect residents from high temperatures, in Orihuela we have not seen a single initiative. No extension of municipal pool opening hours, no reinforcement of services, and no measures designed for families who cannot afford a private pool or travel to the beach. Are they going to do anything on their own initiative, or do they have to be told everything?” he asked.
The Socialist Municipal Group is calling on the Sports Councillor to stop governing “by patchwork,” present a proper maintenance and investment plan for all municipal sports facilities, and adopt immediate measures in response to the heatwave, starting with longer opening hours at municipal swimming pools so they can be used more easily by all residents.
