The plenary approves the investments planned in 2023 for a value of 53 million, which will have almost 17.5 million in subsidies

Benidorm will allocate 53,064,010.76 euros this year to undertake the main investments planned for the year. Of that amount, almost 17.5 million will come from subsidies from other administrations. The plenary session of the City Council held this morning has  approved by the majority budget modification number 2 of the current financial year, a modification whose objective is to be able to cover the execution of projects planned this year that had already been awarded in previous years. These projects, for the most part, depend on subsidies from higher administrations to which the City Council has been awarded. The socialist group has positioned itself against and Ciudadanos group has abstained.

The budget modification has been presented in the plenary session since the municipal budget of 2023 is extended and, therefore, does not have budgetary applications for spending for investments. Having been approved, the modification will make it possible to undertake the investments planned for 2023 that require supra-municipal subsidies and own resources.

The Councilor for Finance, Aida García Mayor, explained that it seeks to "make visible the execution of investments that are being carried out or that are in the administrative process" and has specified that in the investment annex, there are 17,425,239.54 euros in the concept of subsidies and 35.6 million in loans already arranged. “We have applied for many subsidies, but it happens that many of them require a municipal contribution” she has argued. “But it is clear to all that the city has changed a lot. Of course, it is not bad management to get all the help they have given us. What you have to do is approve this investment annex to be able to continue with them ”, she added.

Among the planned investments are the Low Emissions Zone, the pumping of the EPSAR, actions on public roads within the framework of the EDUSI, the renovation of the Bernat de Sarrià rainwater network, the Sèquia Mare shelter, the Plaza de bullfighting, lighting of soccer fields, protection against fires in El Moralet, renovation of the public lighting of the IDAE program, actions for the development of the industrial estate, actions foreseen in the participatory budgets, the expansion of the cemetery, the Mobility Plan Electricity, the Action Plan for Climate and Sustainable Energy, the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, the museum of Tossal de La Cala or the project for the second phase of Avenida del Mediterráneo, among others.

Also, an additional proposal from the Mayor's Office has been approved by the majority to declare void the tender for the public services concession contract for the operation of the bus station consisting of two lots; the management of the station and the real estate management of the shopping center and hotel. The socialist group has abstained and Cs has voted against it.

La declaración se ha producido “ante la inexistencia de ofertas en la plataforma de contratación” ha señalado la concejal de Urbanismo, Lourdes Caselles, que ha aclarado que ahora deberá publicarse en el Diario Oficial de la Unión Europea y en la plataforma de contratación del Sector Público y posteriormente incoar el procedimiento negociado sin publicidad al que está obligado a concurrir la mercantil Estación de Autobuses de Benidorm S.L. en iguales condiciones que las establecidas en el contrato vigente a 1 de enero de 2021. 

“With this agreement, a sentence is fulfilled and the opinion of the Consell Jurídic Consultiu is followed, which demanded that the contract be put out to tender again. We comply with the law and follow the technical guidelines”, Caselles pointed out.

The Town Planning councilor has reiterated on several occasions that the specifications were "absolutely technical, so that it would be the best for the city" and that in the joint commission, "there was no presence of politicians, only technicians". The councillor has also censured the opposition "for not having worked at all in favor of the station and not having presented any claim or suggestion." “They have only put obstacles and offered a bad image of Benidorm. And in that they continue ”she has affirmed. Caselles also recalled that the mayor's role in this matter has been limited "to signing the conclusions of what the professionals said, who are the ones we trust."

Unanimously, the plenary session approved asking the Ministry of Education for the delegation of powers so that the City Council can carry out the works finally authorized by the regional administration within the Edificant Plan, which will reach seven Early Childhood and Primary Education Centers (CEIP's). ) and a Secondary Education Institute (IES). Specifically, it will perform at the CEIP Aitana, Ausiàs March, Gabriel Miró, Puig Campana, Els Tolls, Vasco Núñez de Balboa and El Murtal, and the IES Mediterránea.

The mayor of Education, Maite Moreno, recalled that in June 2021 the plenary session approved requesting its prior adhesion to the Edificant Plan with a total of 20 works in 13 educational centers. On December 20, 2022, through "eight emails" the Ministry "accepted actions in eight centers, refusing the delegation of powers to carry out works in five centers: the CEIP's Mestre Gaspar López, Miguel Hernández and Serra Gelada, the IES Pere Mª Orts i Bosch and the long-awaited new headquarters for the Official School of Languages”.

With the majority, with the abstention of the opposition groups, the Interior Reform Plan (PRI) has been given the green light, which will enable the construction in the West of an innovative 30-story building with three basements that will be supplied with self-generated wind energy and that will house tourist apartments. The Councilor for Town Planning, Lourdes Caselles, has highlighted that this building will form part of a research study on the use and generation of wind energy in urban areas, taking advantage of the vertical city model, and has added that the file has "all the favorable reports.

This PRI establishes the compensation that the developer company will make to the City Council for the increase in the buildable area of the roof in the tower, which is estimated at 3,470 square meters of useful roof. As detailed by the mayor, the promoter will pay the City Council "1.5 million euros for municipal land assets that, together with the amount from the PRI of the Poseidón hotel, will be used for the construction of an athletics track" on the plot contiguous.

An athletics track that "the plenary session approved to consider of public interest" and that will be 100% municipal.

In addition, the City Council will receive a strip of land next to the building and "the Racó de l'Infern quarry" that the company "is going to regenerate after having obtained, three years after requesting it, the favorable environmental impact report from the Ministry ”. The transfer of the regenerated quarry, in which more than 2,500 trees and nearly 3,650 shrubs of native species will be planted, will also include a plot of undeveloped land in the surrounding area, thus creating a large green area.

With the same result, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate Emergency, and Ecological Transition has once again been asked to review the articles of the Natural Resources Management Plan (PORN) of Serra Gelada to make it possible to build ponds for agricultural use in the environment of the Natural Park. The Councilor for the Water Cycle, José Ramón González de Zárate, recalled that the change in the PORN is essential to unblock the pond projected since 2018 next to the Wastewater Treatment Plant (EDAR) and the Serra Gelada tertiary treatment plant.

González de Zárate explained that this pond promoted by the Marina Baixa Water Consortium "would allow the storage of 21,000 cubic meters of purified water to be used by irrigators in the region when they need it, instead of throwing it into the sea" as " it happens now in summer”.

As the mayor has reported, the City Council already requested this change in 2018 and 2021. Since then, "the Ministry has not done anything" to review the PORN "nor has it responded to the regeneration project of the old quarry or to the project of environmental impact that he requested" to unblock the raft and that the technicians of the Provincial Council of Alicante have drawn up.

Unanimously, the participation of Benidorm City Council in the Territorial Pact for Employment of the Marina Baixa has been agreed, of which, in addition to the 18 municipalities of the region, the two majority unions and the Business Confederation of the Valencian Community are also represented.

The Councilor for Employment and Local Promotion, Mónica Gómez, explained that this body "will act as a facilitator of local or supra-municipal projects that have a positive impact on the territory" and "will carry out projects linked to the labor insertion of unemployed people", providing special attention to the groups most affected by unemployment such as women, people over 45 years of age or the young population. This alliance aims to improve "employability", increase "the quality of employment" and increase "productivity in our territory"

Gómez has transferred that at the local level, the City Council develops "permanent actions aimed at generating employment, improving the employability of people who are unemployed and promoting entrepreneurship, through various programs, plans, and employment workshops and requesting all the possible help to carry them out. In addition, she recalled that since the outbreak of the pandemic, aid to support the productive fabric has been organized to help maintain jobs.

“While it is true that at the moment Benidorm registers the lowest unemployment figure since 2008 –she has added-, being the economic engine of the region, it is essential to continue working to improve these data and promote active employment policies. And this is where Benidorm will be, hand in hand with all the municipalities in the region, large and small, to create more and better quality jobs”.

By majority, with the vote in favor of the local government, against the PSOE and the abstention of Cs, two extrajudicial credit relations have been approved to pay bills for services that "have been provided" to the City Council. The councillor of the Treasury, Aida García Mayor, has stated that "to a large extent these invoices have to do with basic and inexcusable services" that are in tender or that have been recently awarded and for which the last invoices prior to the new contract, which corresponds to the year 2022. Among the invoices included in both files are services such as the maintenance of the traffic light network, the transport of sports entities, or the management of the El Tossalet municipal school.

With the vote of the local government, the appeals for replacement filed by two companies against the plenary agreement of November 2022 that declared the nullity of the urban planning agreements of 2003 related to APR-7 have been dismissed.

Unanimously, a motion of the Board of Spokespersons has gone ahead on the occasion of the next celebration of International Women's Day, on March 8.

It expresses the City Council's commitment "to build an egalitarian society that guarantees the rights of all people, as well as active participation in local life."

These commitments must be reflected "in the design and management of local policies that turn our societies into engines of transformation" and for this reason, the City Council has adhered to a common declaration of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) in which They make proposals to intensify efforts in the development of policies aimed at promoting employment, empowerment, and education for equal opportunities. The second agreement of the motion is related to the incorporation of the gender perspective in all local activity to establish adequate coordination between the various areas of local governments and to update the systems and protocols for action in the development of equality policies. in coordination with all the entities involved.

In addition, it has been agreed to propose disaggregated data collection systems to understand and address gender inequalities so that, based on their analysis, we can offer an appropriate and effective response. Likewise, the care system for victims of all forms of sexist violence against women will be expanded within the framework of municipal powers, advancing the improvement of early detection systems and placing the rights of victims and their empowerment.

The City Council has also agreed to invite all citizens to participate in the events organized on the occasion of 8M and in the actions and initiatives that claim equality and against gender violence.