- PRESS RELEASE – PARTIDO INDEPENDENCIA ORIHUELA COSTA
Last year land situated in Orihuela Costa was sold by the Orihuela Council raising 21 million Euros which was added to the coffers of the municipality, but what else could be expected by selling land for construction when the land that had been sold could have been reserved for various projects deemed more important, to improve the non-existent amenities here in Orihuela Costa.
However the present administration based in Orihuela and which is totally biased against the population living on the coast, decided in their wisdom that the land was surplus to requirements and would raise much needed revenue that could be invested in new projects possibly everywhere else, but not here on the coast.
Apparently even though it was pledged by the Mayor (Bascunana) to be solely used for the coast, the 21 million Euros raised from the sale could be used to for developing improved infrastructure and capital projects to improve the community.
So can the long neglected and deprived residents of Orihuela Costa expect that they will see some much needed council spending actually being spent for the inhabitants of the coast?
If the land sold had been reserved by past administrations for building projects for the benefit of the community of Orihuela Costa then surely the money raised by selling off these valuable assets of Orihuela Costa should be spent on Orihuela Costa.
Well, as can be expected the coast will be lucky if it even secures 40% of the money, and this amount will only be earmarked for the coast if councillors honour long agreed promises about public spending, something that history has shown is something is very unlikely.
The greedy councillors, past and present, from the tiny villages and the city of Orihuela who have consistently ignored the needs of coastal residents have all had their sticky little hands out fighting for their share of this windfall.
The tiny village of La Aparecida for example with its small population of around 4000 people saw the completion of its cultural centre which was predicted to cost another 700,000 Euros to complete, this is in addition to the high cost of building the centre!
Clearly this tiny village is more significant and important than Orihuela Costa, which only has a population well over 33,000 people and already contributes a hugely disproportional amount of revenue to the income of Orihuela.
This tiny village is seen as more important and deserving of public spending than the entire coastal region.
If a village with such a small population requires a cultural centre, even though it is less than 7.5 kilometres from the wealth of services of Orihuela city and is linked to it by public transport, why isn’t a cultural centre deemed essential for Orihuela Costa, that is over 33 kilometres distant with virtually no public transport links?
Is this a case of the coastal residents being invisible and discriminated against?
Money raised from the sale of Orihuela Costa assets should be spent on Orihuela Costa. The rate payers and businesses of Orihuela Costa have a right to expect that they have council services equal to the inhabitants of Orihuela city that now has a population equal to the coast. Make sure you fight for equality.
Register to vote and use your vote to stop this blatant discrimination of Orihuela Costa.
