Cambiemos Orihuela has renewed its criticism of delays affecting municipal grants for local festival committees, claiming that organisations are still waiting for the final 20 per cent of their 2025 funding.
The municipal political group said the committees also remain uncertain about when they will receive the initial 80 per cent of their grants for 2026.
Cambiemos raised the issue at a council meeting in May, asking the then councillor for festivities, Rocío Ortuño, when the outstanding 2025 payments would be made.
Ortuño subsequently responded in writing, stating that the necessary administrative procedures would be completed “in the coming weeks” to issue the payments and conclude the 2025 grant programme.
However, Cambiemos claims that three months later, the festival committees have still received neither the outstanding money nor further information about when it will be paid.
The group said the situation had become increasingly concerning because, by the middle of September, committees had also received no information about the processing or payment of their 2026 funding.
It warned that the delays were creating serious financial difficulties for organisations required to plan events, enter into commitments and meet expenses without knowing when essential council support would become available.
Cambiemos councillor Quique Montero said festival committees worked throughout the year to organise celebrations that bring life to Orihuela’s neighbourhoods and outlying districts.
“They cannot be expected to meet expenses, maintain our festivities and comply diligently with administrative procedures and deadlines while the council systematically fails to meet its own obligations,” he said.
Cambiemos described the situation as having reached unacceptable levels and called on the newly appointed councillor responsible for festivities to resolve the outstanding 2025 payments and accelerate the processing of the 2026 grants.
The group said the municipality’s festival committees could not be expected to wait any longer for the financial support on which many of their events depend.
