Relations between Alcudia town hall and hoteliers have hit a bit of a wall, equivalent to the one-metre high accumulation of sand in a part of the beach. Newly installed at the town hall, one might have expected the Partido Popular-led coalition to be getting on swimmingly with the hoteliers. But the two sides are instead, if not fighting each other on the beaches, then letting the public know of differences.
There is the business with the sand, but the main issue has to do with the balnearios - the beach bars. The other day, the hoteliers put out a press release in which they denounced the dilapidated state of the balnearios and demanded that the town hall acts with the utmost urgency in sorting them out. This means building new ones.
The hoteliers explained that they had met the new mayor, Fina Linares, and passed on their concerns about the delay in the bidding process for the new balnearios. The poor state of the existing bars, including one that is permanently shut because it’s in such a bad way, creates a negative image for Alcudia, the hoteliers stressed.
Having issued their press release, the mayor responded to the hoteliers with some annoyance. At the meeting she had told them that the tender process was under way, while technical staff had outlined the schedule. The tender will be raised on October 31, the work will start as soon as possible and be completed in time for the 2024 season.
As the hoteliers had already been informed, why did they find it necessary to issue a press release? Surely they didn’t doubt the mayor’s explanation at the meeting. Or did they?
In a respect, one can understand the hoteliers getting rather concerned. The renewal of the balnearios does go back a number of years, certainly to the time of Toni Mir as mayor (2015-2019). Mir expressed his frustration with the Costas Authority for its delay in authorising the new balnearios, which are due to be made with more sustainable materials; their look will be different.
In 2021, the Costas did finally give authorisation. If memory serves, the previous administration made a budgetary allocation for the balnearios for this year from the town hall’s vast cash mountain. With any luck, therefore, and not before time, the new beach bars will be ready for next summer. If they are not, the hoteliers will be letting everyone know, and the mayor will have some more explaining to do.
Some six weeks ago, an eighteen-metre fishing boat sank in the Bay of Pollensa. On the first of July, one of the two parties that form the coalition administration at Pollensa town hall, Més, posted a message on social media saying that the councillor for the environment was coordinating actions to deal with the boat and any contamination.
A month on and the town hall has had to concede that the boat is likely to stay where it is until after the high season at the earliest. It is quite possible that it will be there for a longer time. While the town hall has indeed been seeking solutions, it doesn’t have powers per se. The delegate for Puerto Pollensa, Joana Aina Campomar, regrets that “no one is assuming the responsibility”. By no one, she means the Costas Authority and PortsIB, the regional government’s ports authority.
Another agency, Maritime Safety, is, so to speak, in the same boat as the town hall. It doesn’t have powers, but it can place buoys and a cordon around the boat and has done this.
Campomar suggests that part of the problem lies with the transfer of responsibilities from the Costas to the Balearic government - which was made official on July 1, two weeks after the boat sank - and the establishment of the new Ministry for the Sea by the Partido Popular government. She hopes that this ministry will eventually resolve matters satisfactorily. Meanwhile, and for the present at any rate, there are no spills from the boat. But there is a worry that there may be if and when there are some stormy conditions.
According to the town hall, the owner of the boat has passed away and relatives haven’t been located.
PSOE in Alcudia with Francina Armengol.
Up and up - the cost of salaries at Alcudia town hall
It’s not as though Alcudia town hall can’t afford three million euros over the next four years to pay for councillors with “exclusive dedication” and an advisor for almost all of these ten councillors. But this isn’t the point, as the PSOE opposition are saying.
As they have exclusive dedication, why is it necessary to recruit seven advisors whose combined salaries will amount to 277,000 euros per year? In addition, some of these advisors will be doing things that correspond to other town hall departments. In other words, there will be duplication. Moreover, how is that six of these councillors who have exclusive dedication have also requested “compatibility” for their private business activities?
As previously reported, the opposition has been highly critical of the fact that the total cost of councillors’ salaries has gone up by 50%.
Ah Alcúdia! On the list of one of the prettiest villages in Spain yet they can’t sort out the refuse system. The underground pod system is knackered so they have parked containers next to them which are poorly serviced and are often over-flowing. All directly next to the world heritage walls. Delightfully scenic and a Mecca for rats and cockroaches.
The inside of the town has decrepit electrical wiring strung all over the buildings and hanging across the streets. And still they can’t get them tidied up or even better put underground.
90 plus million Euros in their funds and the best the new ( and old, too) leaders can do is give themselves pay rises and give their mates a handout gig.
And yes the Balnearios are also an eyesore.
Lots for the new administration to do. I don’t have much faith, unfortunately. But let’s see.
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Ah Alcúdia! On the list of one of the prettiest villages in Spain yet they can’t sort out the refuse system. The underground pod system is knackered so they have parked containers next to them which are poorly serviced and are often over-flowing. All directly next to the world heritage walls. Delightfully scenic and a Mecca for rats and cockroaches. The inside of the town has decrepit electrical wiring strung all over the buildings and hanging across the streets. And still they can’t get them tidied up or even better put underground. 90 plus million Euros in their funds and the best the new ( and old, too) leaders can do is give themselves pay rises and give their mates a handout gig. And yes the Balnearios are also an eyesore. Lots for the new administration to do. I don’t have much faith, unfortunately. But let’s see.