Ten Point Action Plan for Torrevieja

The new government of Torrevieja has announced their ten-point action plan of priorities they intend to achieve as they move towards cleaning up the political history of the municipality.

Key areas focus on saving money, avoiding corruption and ensuring transparency in government.

The councillors now, for example, will no longer use mobile phones paid for by public money. Not only will this avoid scandals that rocked the previous government when some of them were found to be using their mobile illegally, it also helps to solve a long term problem of an incorrectly awarded contract for the supply of the mobile phones.

In 2013, whilst in opposition, it was brought to light that the annual bill for the town hall was in the region of 300,000 euro, most of which can now be directed into services for the people of the municipality.

The town hall will be dropping charges against officers from the Local Police who were facing a range of offences for protesting during the plenary meetings. The new government feel that their protests about working conditions were a legitimate way of raising awareness of their plight and that the matters of complaint should have been dealt with, rather than filing court proceedings.

They will also make a statement against corruption, by removing the names given to some municipal buildings and other titles given to those found guilty in corruption cases. This includes the removal of the title of “adopted son” given to former Valencia President Francisco Camps, and the sports facility named after Infanta Cristina.

The town hall will also create an office where residents facing eviction can obtain help and assistance and there will be a minutes silence in all town hall meetings in the event of a case of domestic violence being recorded.  Religious events will now be voluntary for town hall members and councillors and will no longer form part of their enforced agenda.

The government spokesperson, Fanny Serrano, listed the points in a press conference this week, explaining how the government intend to achieve all the points of the plan within the first 100 days of government, and so the clock is now ticking to see just how much they can achieve in such as short space of time.