EXTRA HELP FOR VICTIMS OF ECONOMIC CRISIS

The full Orihuela council meeting (Plenary) in May voted for extra help for victims of the economic crisis. A municipal “soup kitchen” would be set up in Orihuela and charities such as CARITAS in Orihuela and Orihuela costa would benefit from additional budget support of €250,000.

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An additional amount of €400,000 would be directed to provide school meals for children in the municipal schools who do not benefit from existing schemes. Bob Houliston, C.L.A.R.O. Councillor, supporting the proposal, said that a municipal facility for serving hot meals was not essential in Orihuela Costa but CARITAS in Orihuela Costa must be a significant beneficiary of this extra finance. CARITAS resources on the coast are over stretched with their current support for 60 families providing supplies of basic foods plus financial assistance to pay utility bills. The minority Socialist and Green Party government voted against the proposal but said they would bring forward a proposal in June to increase financial support for charities helping the needy. We shall see!

MARTINA LETS DOWN THE COAST

In the scramble to fill the gaps in the government team running Orihuela after the Constitutional Court ended the practice of using non-elected councillors to run government departments, Manuel Gallud of the Green Party, previously a non-elected councillor, moved up to an elected councillor post after the resignation of the number three on the Green Party electoral list. He had two conditions for accepting the post. One was that he could continue to work in Orihuela as a Dentist and that he should get an additional, full time highly qualified assistant (asesor) to help him. The condition that a full-time councillor post should be downgraded to a part-time post to enable him to continue to work as a Dentist was rejected by a majority vote in the Plenary in May. The Mayor, however, went ahead to decree this arrangement thereby risking being taken to court by the Popular Party for violating the procedures of local government law. Manuel Gallud as a part time elected councillor will be responsible for many of the most important jobs in the government – Budget and Finance, Commerce and Employment and Environment. The PP-CLARO opposition considered that these responsibilities more than justified a full time councillor.

In the press it was speculated that the condition for providing Mr. Gallud with a fully qualified assistant would be met by the post of the only remaining assistant to Martina Scheurer, Councillor for the Coast, being reduced from a full time to a part time position – Martina has not spoken about it but she lost one of her two assistant posts in the government reshuffle after the expulsion of Pedro Mancebo in February. Bob Houliston, C.L.A.R.O., argued that sacrificing half of the only remaining assistant post would downgrade the coast where in the previous PP government and when the new three-party government took office in 2011 there had always been two full time assistants to help the Councillor for the Coast, a position which should be one of the most important in the government. Bob Houliston was told in the council meeting that this would not be done but within a couple of days this is precisely what the Mayor decreed. SHAME ON MARTINA for not standing up for the coast and letting the needs of an Orihuela councillor overrule the needs of Orihuela Costa with a population equal to the size of Orihuela city and all sorts of deficiencies in services and infrastructure.

NO YOUTH CLUB IN ORIHUELA COSTA

The failure of the government to establish a centre for young people (16- 30 years) living on the coast and to promote activities for them, such as training for employment, was the reason Bob Houliston voted against a proposal of the government to set up a Forum for youth groups to discuss Town Hall supported activities. Bob Houliston argued that such a forum was not a priority and would freeze a situation of inequality and discrimination against the youth of Orihuela Costa. He protested that it was a scandal that the Socialist Councillor for Youth had spent nearly €200,000 since October, 2012 on concerts and extravagances in Orihuela city and had not devoted a penny in correcting the total absence of facilities for young people in Orihuela Costa. Orihuela city and a number of the surrounding villages (pedanias) have youth centres whereas the young in Orihuela Costa are sometime forced to hang out in empty commercial property. For the amount she had spent on unnecessary extravagances, the Councillor for Youth could have built and equipped a youth centre on the coast where there are some 500 young people living, a number which will increase regularly in the future as children graduate from the Orihuela Costa secondary school. With the votes of the Popular Party and C.L.A.R.O. the proposed Youth Forum was rejected. Pedro Mancebo and his CLR party colleague voted for the proposal.

WHAT THE NEW GREEN PARTY COUNCILLOR SAID ABOUT PEDRO MANCEBO

In a long interview in the La Verdad newspaper on 3 June, Manuel Gallud, the new Green Party big boy in the government, said that despite its minority status, the Socialist and Green Party government still had hopes of proving that they could govern well now that Pedro Mancebo, CLR party leader, had been expelled from the government. He said that if he would criticise his Green Party colleague, the Mayor, for one thing, it was that he had not thrown out Pedro Mancebo sooner. He continued, Pedro Mancebo had been responsible for rowing with Bob Houliston, who resigned from the government after 8 months, he was responsible for the rows with two other councillors from his own party, who had also left the government. Mr. Gallud concluded that Pedro Mancebo had been responsible for 18 months of confrontations and disloyalty which had cost the government dearly.

You are dead right Mr. Gallud!!!

CONTACT US

C.L.A.R.O’s office, 1st floor in the Asturias Restaurant, Punta Prima is open Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Telephone number 661 333 593. E-mail address info@orihuela.eu See C.L.A.R.O. WEBPAGE www.claro-orihuela.eu C.L.A.R.O. has an OPEN MEETING, with Councillor Bob Houliston present every Friday in the Asturias Restaurant from 5 p.m . – 6-30 p.m. (English speaking) and 6.30 p.m. – 8 p.m. (Spanish speaking).

PLEASED REMEMBER NEXT TIME YOU ARE IN THE PLAYA FLAMENCA OFFICE OF THE TOWN HALL REGISTER TO VOTE

Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/39357/

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