The Mediation Center has registered 33 requests in its first six months of operation in the Els Tolls neighborhood

The new Municipal Social Mediation Centre, promoted by Benidorm City Council in the Els Tolls neighbourhood, has registered a total of 33 mediation requests from individuals and businesses since its launch six months ago, seeking to reach agreements in various types of conflicts without resorting to legal action. The Mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, and the Councillor for Social Welfare, Ángela Zaragozí, visited the centre today to review its first few months of operation, during which its legal advisors have successfully resolved a total of eight mediations, half of which were successful.

The mayor stated that this centre represents "a service that we decided at the time to locate in a location where we deemed the presence of municipal public services necessary." He also noted that the project was developed within the framework of the Sustainable and Inclusive Urban Development Strategy (EDUSI), with a budget of €1,914,770, co-financed by the City Council and ERDF Funds. He added that the EDUSI brought about "a major change in terms of public services, the state of the roads, and the area itself, incorporating this building, which, in addition to the Mediaprop mediation service, also functions as a social center for residents of the Els Tolls-Salt de l'Aigüa area, who previously had to travel to the José Llorca Linares Hospital."

"Now they have closer and more accessible care, knowing that these services are ultimately for families, for people in many cases in vulnerable situations, either due to socioeconomic reasons or, for example, due to age, abilities, etc., and that they now find a friendly administration here that has also come to revitalise the neighbourhood," he added.

Regarding the data from the first six months of operation, Pérez explained that the mediation service is free, having previously been provided at José Llorca Linares social centre. Its purpose is to help manage and resolve conflicts between two parties, enabling them to reach an agreement and avoid the matter being addressed and settled in court. Three legal advisors from the Social Welfare area are assigned to the service, who combine these tasks with other matters of the City Council's Office. Referrals to mediation can be made through the Mediaprop service itself or through the City Council's legal department when cases are identified that can be resolved through this means.

Since the new centre opened on March 13, 33 requests for mediation have been received, four of them this September. To date, eight mediations have been conducted, of which four have been resolved with an agreement and four without agreement. Mediation has been rejected in eight other cases by one of the parties in conflict, who must accept mediation voluntarily. Furthermore, one of the parties did not respond to the mediation proposal on two occasions; one of the applicants withdrew in one case; another case is not suitable for mediation because it involves a criminal matter that cannot be mediated; and eleven cases are pending.

The most common issues addressed by mediation have been those related to parental arrangements, leases, and property disputes, as well as construction work.

In addition to the mediation service, this Municipal Social Mediation Centre also operates as a community centre and has its own core team, also hosting specific programs for the LGBTIQ+ community and serving the Roma community. This is the second core team that existed at José Llorca Linares centre and now serves the population of Els Tolls and its surrounding area from the neighbourhood itself. Its staff includes two social workers, a psychologist, a Social Integration Specialist, an educator, an Equality Officer for specific LGBTIQ+ and Roma programs, two administrative staff, and a custodian.

The mayor concluded this assessment by saying he felt “happy, because the project we once framed within the EDUSI is now a reality,” and he remembered the previous councilor for Social Welfare, Ángela Llorca, who at the time also could have very clear concepts, to tackle this great project that now with another Ángela, with Ángela Zaragozí, we have launched and that she is leading magnificently well.”

“This is a service that in most cases requires a lot of privacy, because we are serving people, residents of Benidorm, who come to a mediation point in a time of difficulty, in which they need to have the security and certainty that, beyond the facility offering them privacy and being friendly, they will be served by a professional,” said Toni Pérez, who concluded by noting: “I believe we have achieved the objective we set ourselves of having a great municipal service in the heart of Els Tolls neighborhood, which fundamentally serves as care for all those people who, in a time of difficulty, need the closest administration, through the Department of Social Welfare and their City Council.”