The plenary asks the General Courts that ‘the trile’ be considered a crime

The plenary session of Benidorm City Council has approved today by way of urgency and unanimously “urge the General Courts” to reform the Law so that the practice of “illegal activities” such as “the trile”(shell game), “does not enjoy impunity like it is considered by current legislation. ” The motion was agreed last Friday at a Board of Spokespersons convened by the mayor, Toni Pérez; and its objective is that 'the trile' is classified as a crime in the Criminal Code in order to provide the Bodies and Security Forces with “agile procedures” and “effective legal measures” that allow “to eradicate this fraudulent activity from our public roads” . An activity that "damages the image of the city of Benidorm and Tourism in general."

Therefore, the proposal approved today, "it becomes essential and urgent a typification of the activity to indicate a legal figure of a higher level", through which to articulate "effective measures" against 'the trile' that “transfer to the population, both residents and tourists, the greatest perception and feeling of real security during their stay in Benidorm ”.

As the motion reflects, since the early 1970s, 'the trile' “has been affecting and damaging the image of the safe city that is Benidorm without the effective formula to eradicate the activity being found to date”, Although "all city governments have tried to orchestrate strategies to eliminate the painful image of the 'potatoe men' acting on public roads."

For this, among other actions, campaigns have been launched in the last three decades and diptychs have been published warning of this trap game, informative talks have been held with tour operators and clients, and efforts have been made to harass the promoters through police presence and intervention of the fake game.

However, "it has not been enough to tackle a problem" sanctioned in the Game Law of the Valencian Community and in the Municipal Ordinance number 2.

More recently, "the Department of Citizen Security, the Headquarters of the Local Police and the Police Station of the National Police Force" have sought "new legal figures to address the problem." Thus, attempts have been made to link the repetition of the practice of ‘the trile’ to a crime of Disobedience to an Agent of the Authority, although the initial convictions in the first instance have been dismissed by higher judicial instances.

Also unanimously, the full of Benidorm has rejected the possible implementation of a tourist tax in the Valencian Community. The spokeswoman for the local government and the popular municipal group, Lourdes Caselles has transferred “the 'no' resoundingly to a tax that taxes overnight stays and regulated accommodations” and that “will worsen the tourist results of Benidorm and the entire Valencian Community ", And more at a time of" uncertainty "for the 'Brexit' and its consequences and in which" other competing destinations "of the Mediterranean" are strengthening. "

Caselles has remarked that "it is necessary to show the frontal rejection of this badly called rate since at the beginning of this term the government partners of President Ximo Puig have brought this tax to the fore again," which "negatively affects the competitiveness of an industry that generates more than 13% of GDP and 14% of employment in the Valencian Community ”.

As reflected in the motion approved, and amended by the PSOE, the implementation of this tax "has the frontal rejection of the tourism sector of the Community." Hence, “the Consell is urged to agree with the tourism sector on all decisions taken in this area”, and President Ximo Puig and the Regional Secretary of Tourism, Francesc Colomer, are called “the convocation of the Consell de Turisme to solve the  problem raised and "to address it for the possible establishment of the fee.

Among these reasons put forward by the sector and the motion are that in the Valencian Community "internal tourism is very important, so that 30% of the taxpayers of this new tax will be the Valencian citizens themselves on their vacations." Likewise, it is pointed out that “European tour operators have already warned of the detrimental effect of this international marketing 'rate', and may lead to the 'flight' of tourists to“ countries and destinations such as Turkey, Egypt or Tunisia that are becoming strong in the holiday market ”and that they are following“ the exact opposite strategy: to subsidize the arrival of tourists ”.

During the debate, the spokeswoman of the PP said that "with this tax a message is sent to the saturation and turismophobia markets" when "the reality is that the Valencian Community is a territory‘ tourist friendly ’and synonymous with hospitality."

By majority, the last agreement of mutual agreement of land acquisition for the construction of the so-called Vial Discotecas has been approved, which will link the Valencian Community avenue with the variant of the national highway 332. The Town Planning Councilor, Lourdes Caselles, explained that “More than 90% of the land has been acquired by mutual agreement” in successive agreements approved by the plenary based on the expropriation project prepared by the City Council. Caselles indicated that the City Council is in a position to “proceed with the bidding of the road”, the key to being able to develop the industrial estate.

In addition, and also by majority and in relation to this same land, the plenary has rejected the particular sheet of appreciation presented by two owners and has reiterated the justification based on the appraisal made at the time by the City Council. Caselles recalled that only five owners opposed the appraisals set in the expropriation project. Of them, "one of them has finally signed an agreement of mutual agreement" -the one approved in the previous point-, while "two have presented particular sheets of appreciation and a fifth has not done so". In the absence of agreement, it will be the Provincial Jury of Expropriation that establishes the price of expropriation of the land.

With the same, a five-year demand concession has been approved, with the possibility of an extension for the same term, to Iberdrola for the installation of two points of rapid recharging of electric vehicles on the Europa and l'Aigüera avenues. The hiring councilor, Aida García Mayor, explained that with the installation of these two points, which allow the simultaneous loading of two vehicles, “sustainable mobility is encouraged and responding to the growing demand for power stations, especially by of foreign citizens ”.

Unanimously, the composition of the Board of Trustees of Visit Benidorm Foundation has been changed. Thus, the mayor will continue to chair the Board of Trustees, the municipal group of the PP will have three representatives, while the PSOE will have two members and one Cs. With regard to freely designed members, due to their recognized competence and experience in relation to the tourism sector, they will be Fernando Vera Rebollo, Francisco Juan Martínez and Pere Joan Devesa Martínez.

Also with the vote of all the councilors present, local holidays have been declared on November 9 and 10, 2020.

In the same session, the agreement adopted on August 14 by the Control Commission of the Social Welfare Plan of the City Council regarding the appointment and renewal of charges has been realized.

Opposition motions

With the vote of all the groups, a motion of the Cs group, amended by the PP, to “initiate the administrative procedure to initiate the appropriate administrative procedures to offer bonuses to large families, host families, single parents and people with functional diversity registered in Benidorm, in terms of the price of access and use of municipal facilities ”. In addition, the agreement includes "creating bonuses" for these families and people "in the offer of sports, educational, cultural or recreational activities" organized by the City Council.

By a large majority, another motion of the same group, jointly amended by PP and PSOE, has been approved to demand from the Society thematic projects of the Valencian Community (SPTCV) to begin “the negotiations between the Generalitat Valenciana and the City Council for the start of the procedures for the signing of a new agreement that allows the execution and completion of the Cultural Center, therefore including parking, within the second and final phase before the end of this term. ”

Other urgent motions

In addition to the motion referred to ‘the trile’, (shell game), the plenary has approved another motion by way of urgency, at the request of the Councilor for Contracting. Specifically, with the vote of the majority of the councilors, another green concession has been given to a public concession - for a period of five years with the possibility of another five - for the installation of a charging point for electric vehicles, in this case a Eurotabaco Group Project request. This recharge point will be for the private use of the merchant for 8 hours a day, and after that open its use for all citizens free of charge. This point allows the possibility of simultaneous loading of two vehicles, and the merchant must pay the corresponding fee.

Also as a matter of urgency, the Corporation has unanimously agreed and proposed by the PSOE, that Benidorm City Council carries out “in a subsidiary way the necessary repair, cleaning, and commissioning work at the bus station” and that “they are subsequently invoiced at the current concessionaire that exploits this infrastructure ”.