Orihuela’s Socialist councillor Isidro Grao has accused the PP-Vox municipal government of failing to repair the lift providing access to Barranco Rubio beach in Campoamor, despite promising that it would be operational by summer 2025.
The lift remains out of service in August 2026, forcing Orihuela Council to provide another free shuttle service at a cost of €25,198. The vehicle is scheduled to make 16 journeys a day, helping elderly passengers, families and people with reduced mobility negotiate the steep route between upper Campoamor and the beach.
Grao said the PSOE supports the temporary transport service but criticised the Council for allowing it to become a long-term substitute for the lift.
“A temporary measure that is repeated in 2026 is no longer a temporary solution; it has become a permanent sticking plaster,” he said.
Problems with the lifts were already known in 2022. A shuttle service was introduced at Barranco Rubio in July 2024, after which Costa councillor Manuel Mestre announced that repairs would be carried out. Mestre said the two lifts at Barranco Rubio and another at Punta Prima would be operating “next summer”, referring to 2025.
However, the Barranco Rubio lift remains unusable more than a year after that deadline.
Grao is demanding explanations from Mayor Pepe Vegara and Mestre about why the promised repairs were not completed. He also wants the Council to disclose how much public money has been spent on attempted repairs and temporary measures during the past several years.
The Socialist councillor noted that Vegara and Mestre visited the Barranco Rubio street improvement works in February 2026 and announced measures to improve accessibility and access to the lift. Six months later, however, the equipment is still not working.
Grao stressed that the lift is essential rather than merely decorative. Barranco Rubio offers adapted bathing facilities and areas for people with reduced mobility, but the significant difference in height between the upper part of Campoamor and the beach makes access difficult.
“We are talking about ensuring that a person with reduced mobility can reach a public beach safely, independently and with dignity,” he said.
While accepting that €25,198 might be justified as an emergency measure, Grao argued that repeatedly spending public money on temporary arrangements without repairing the lift cannot continue.
“The residents of Campoamor do not need another photograph, announcement or promise,” he concluded. “They need the lift to work.”
