Being the last Thursday of the month, 29th September 2022, there was the usual Pleno meeting in Orihuela Town Hall. There were many pronouncements but absolutely nothing for Orihuela Costa, nevertheless 2 items stood out.
First there was a vote for a Budget of just under €6,000,000 for a couple of projects, but most likely nothing for the coast. Next there was another vote, one of the many knives in the back of Orihuela Costa residents when Ciudadanos, led by Jose Aix, and PSOE, led by the current mayor Carolina Gracia, both voted against a Multi-cultural Centre for Orihuela Costa, whilst the other parties abstained.
Our former Mayor, Emilio Bascunana, of the Partido Popular, promised us a Cultural Centre; then it was changed to a Multi-cultural Centre; then it was to become a Civic Centre. Note, the one at Alameda del Mar is not registered as a Civic Centre but as a Centre for the Elderly, the retired residents of Orihuela Costa.
Both the C’s and the PSOE voted against the motion despite the Council having the money, €60,000 for the feasibility study and €2.2 million for the construction of the Centre.
While the coast is stabbed in the back with this major reversal of policy there continue to be many comments about a lack of bins, inadequate rubbish collections, the appalling condition of the roads etc. If we had a proper working council that considered the needs of the coast and that also carried out the appropriate maintenance, we would not need to complain, but we do not. This situation has been ongoing since 2015.
During much of this period the Council could not agree on a budget, there was a stalemate with both PP and C’s making no concessions and pointing the finger of blame at each other, and now, after their complete failure, the drawing up of the municipal budget has been outsourced to a private company.
Why should we pay somebody else when it is the Council’s responsibility to draw up the Budget?, When this company produces the Budget, supposedly by the end of October, it then has to be voted on at the November Pleno meeting, therefore, the Budget will not be ready until the end of this year at the earliest, most likely early next year. Furthermore, as the next Elections are in May 2023, this is yet another example of this Council wasting our money.
In a properly run Council, each department would be allocated its own Budget, for example Infrastructure, Cleaning, Tourism etc, that is the same story for the construction of a Cultural Centre which is also partly funded by the Generalitate Valenciana.
In effect, each department would control its own spending budget, so no money would be diverted away from other departments to finance the Centre.
It is purely down to the incompetence/negligence and discrimination of our shoddy Council 34 kms away.
A united Orihuela Costa has a chance, speaking as one voice, but a divided Costa can only look forward to 4 more bleak years.
We continue to extend the olive branch to CLARO, let us speak as one voice.
