"Absolutely nothing has been done to improve the situation," he notes, adding that away from the beach front line there is neglect. Residents, he observes, are more sceptical than ever about actions being taken by the town halls in Palma and Llucmajor. "We can't do much more," he explains. "Everything we have tried in the past has come to nothing."
The association president anticipates even less attention from Palma when Antoni Noguera becomes mayor. Noguera's party, Més, got the least number of votes in Playa de Palma at the 2015 election. Noguera and Més, he believes, will play to their gallery and follow their electoral programme.
Barceló's disenchantment with politicians was reinforced when the association was excluded from the Playa de Palma monitoring commission "without warning". There have been various meetings regarding projects in the area but residents' associations haven't been invited. He adds that the relationship with the councillor who is responsible for Playa de Palma, Helena Paquier, is non-existent.
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Geoff your spot on. The only difference we have is I would deport them not fine them. They must be illegal immigrants so gather them up and get rid of them. They would not pay a fine anyway they would just "disappear".
Looks as if the Police and Council have given up!
Such a simple problem to solve IF you have the political will and the manpower to do it. Do our politicians THINK the sight of illegal sellers (who gather up their sheets and blankets and disappear magically when the police arrive.....how does that happen?), illegal masseuses and drunken yobos enhances the image of the island? Do these people contribute to Mallorca? Of course not, they steal business from business owners who pay rent, employ people and pay taxes, deny the government taxes and harass tourists. Who wants to sit in a beach front bar, restaurant or terraza and be harassed every two seconds by a guy selling illegal goods that also blatantly break all known patent and copyright laws? Implement huge fines and a decent police presence and you will clear up the problem. Happy tourists spend money, tell others and come back. As for us residents......do we not deserve better? I think so.