THE INAPPROPRIATE READING POINT OF THE COAST, AND ITS VOLUNTEERS, ARE IN A PRECARIOUS SITUATION DUE TO THE INCOMPETENT MANAGEMENT FROM THE COORDINATING COUNCILLORS AND ADVISERS.
In a press release, the local CLARO political group want to draw attention back to the Orihuela Costa and the needs of the residents.
The Coast of Orihuela with its nearly 50,000 residents needs a library now. The unknown, remote and insufficient Reading Point, which emerged from the magic hat of the socialist councillors of the last legislature in 2013, as a handout to La Costa, for the inauguration of the 3rd library La Maria Moliner, whose cost amounted to € 2,600,000, is dying thanks to the disastrous management, carried out by the coordinators of the Coast and one of their advisers. One of them from C’s Orihuela, a party that has the Cultural Delegation in the Municipality, scheduling an endless number of cultural events, concerts and Exhibitions in the libraries of Orihuela.
Insufficient Reading Point schedule, a few hours only, 1 day a week.
This insufficient Reading Point, which since 2013, Councillor Scheurer maintained with dignity, even assured insurance for the volunteers, was abandoned to its fate when the new government team entered, with unfulfilled promises of support, which led to the resignation of the 9 volunteers who opened it 3 times a week.
Many shortcomings made it difficult for them to manage the Reading Point. They were not provided with basic office supplies such as pencils, paper etc which the volunteers had to fork out for themselves, they had to use their own mobile phones, Wi-Fi, forms for bookkeeping etc. Out of 14ooo books only 8000 have shelf room of which about more than half 6ooo are in boxes still unpacked due to lack of space This number being totally insufficient, since the parameters for these centres in the Valencian Community are 1.1 books per inhabitant, and in the Coast this should translate into being 0.25 books, which is well below the average. Etc. , situation that led to the closure of the Reading Point.
Faced with the repeated demand from local associations, schools, the situation was addressed a few months ago and now opens one day a week for about four hours, with 3 volunteers. The new promises of support have been broken again by the City Town Hall, resulting in putting the volunteers at risk by having cut sometimes the water from the centre, and having them perform the cleaning duty of the local Town Hall.
In light of the complaints from the volunteers about these shortcomings, the Coast Coordinator’s adviser, inappropriately told them, “that there is no money for this centre, nor for its cleaning, and if you want cleaning you have to buy the products and clean this municipal centre yourselves as do the other 2 or 3 social groups that use the centre on a weekly basis.. ” A very regrettable utterance from a public servant in receipt of a generous salary paid for by the public coffers, paid to solve these deficiencies. The volunteers are tired of so many empty promises, for the good work they are doing and are considering to resign again, not in the least in light of yet more municipal nonsense.
All this is further proof which adds to the already tall tally of what is the mismanagement of the government team of PP and C’s and to the comparative grievance, in this case in a cultural service, more absurd considering that in Orihuela there is a budget of more than 1.000.000-€ intended for culture.
The Coast needs that Multicultural Centre, by general neighbourhood demand, not in a remote place like this, but in a central place, as claimed by associations and neighbours. The fact is that none of the residents have been consulted or informed of its planned location. The need for a centre which has a library in fit conditions for the varied and multicultural population that it has, and for the more than 5,000 children and young people is critical and way over due.
Claro will present a proposal to the budgets of the City Council so that the necessary funds are allocated urgently, to end these deficiencies, and to support the disinterested social work of these volunteers, thereby avoiding the closure of this much appreciated Reading Point, until we have the finalisation of the Multicultural Centre for La Costa, which includes a library that provides a sufficient service for the great demand of the neighbourhood that exists and which takes into consideration the constant increase of population in this area of the Municipality.
Claro will also request the support of the Consell Valencià of Culture, an advisory and advisory institution of the Generalitat Valenciana in the specific subjects of culture, as one of its missions is to watch over the defence and promotion of cultural values. This is to once and for all put a stop to this cultural gap existing between the Casco with its 3 libraries and the 50.ooo neighbours of the Coast, with the precarious situation in which it finds it selves, without Multicultural centre and without Municipal Library, despite the undisputed fact that according to Spanish law, a town with more than 5000 inhabitants have the right to a public library.
