The plenary reaffirms the condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

The plenary session of Benidorm City Council has condemned "the Russian invasion in Ukraine", and has expressed "its support and solidarity with the Ukrainian population, offering all the help and collaboration" to those affected. In a motion of the Board of Spokespersons approved unanimously and included in the session by  urgency, the City Council has joined the institutional declaration launched by the Valencian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FVMP) in which it is stated that " Russia's action represents "a de facto violation of International Law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine that affects the principle of humanitarian peace."

Given the events that are taking place in Ukraine, Benidorm "is for the defence of Peace, for International Law and diplomatic channels within the framework of the United Nations." Likewise, "it calls for an end to the invasion" while expressing "solidarity with the Ukrainian population and the commitment to collaboration and humanitarian action to protect the population and support Ukrainian citizens in the Valencian Community already affected companies.

Also unanimously and by way of urgency, the City Council has joined the institutional declaration of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) on the occasion of International Women's Day, which is celebrated on March 8. This declaration contains the conclusions of reports from different international organizations that warn of how the pandemic has affected progress in terms of equality and increased the gender gap.

Among the measures included in this declaration is that of "intensifying efforts in the development of policies aimed at promoting employment and entrepreneurship, education for equal opportunities, the incorporation of women into the information society and the support women living in rural areas.

With the same result, the Municipal Action Plan (PAM) has been approved against the risk of Floods, a document "very important, especially in the protection of people", and also for "the development of the city" and to protect "the environment and the assets that may be affected when this type of natural phenomenon occurs", as explained by the Councilor for the Water Cycle, José Ramón González de Zárate.

De Zárate stressed that "this document is important to alleviate damage and establish action protocols to avoid it." Specifically, the Plan "seeks to provide the organizational structure and operation for intervention in emergencies due to flooding in the municipality, as well as to determine the vulnerable elements based on the risk analysis and its levels in the different areas of the municipal area and to define areas according to possible intervention requirements”.

This document establishes "the procedures for information and alerts to the population" and the development of the "catalogue of the means and resources available in the municipality", as well as "the mechanisms for its permanent updating, detailed information on the organization and operation of the plan, its implementation and maintenance.

De Zárate has indicated that the document indicates "21 risk areas, in which the City Council is already investing or has invested to prevent flooding." In this regard, he has made an "appeal" to entities such as the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation, General Directorate of Coasts and EPSAR so that they "help us pay for" some "necessary and pending works".
Unanimously, the beach services for the months of March and April have been approved based on the technical report from the Environment, which establishes an increase in them compared to previous months due to the foreseeable increase in users, mainly during the period of Easter vacation.

Thus, in March there will be an operation of 4 lifeguards on the Levante beach, 4 in Poniente and one in Mal Pas; while for April the troops are increased to 5 in Levante, 6 in Poniente and one is maintained in Mal Pas. This service will work from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from Easter. The health facility will also have two ambulances and two nursing professionals. As for the service of accessible beaches, in March the points of Elche Park and Murcia Street will operate from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

In relation to the cleaning service, 6 operators are established for the Levante beach and 5 for the Poniente and Malpas beaches, in addition to three sieves that will cover all the beaches. During Holy Week, the operation will increase to 21 workers for the three beaches, going to 13 when this holiday period ends.

Finally, for the hammock rental service, the proposal that allows the concessionaire company to install 3,500 daily is still in force.

With the support of the entire Corporation, the plenary has requested the adhesion of Benidorm to the 'Network of Cities for Mobility with Low Emissions'. De Zárate, as Councilor for Mobility, explained that it is "a forum made up of local entities, associations, companies and other groups whose purpose is to identify and promote solutions and strategies that reduce the emissions generated by mobility and its effect on citizens, promoting the deployment of Low Emission Zones (ZBE) in Spain, facilitating collaboration between cities for said deployment and being a channel to obtain the collaboration and help of other entities”.

The mayor has underlined the "commitment and commitment" of Benidorm City Council for mobility and sustainability, which "are evident in the actions that have been carried out over the years to improve the quality of life of our citizens making the use of active mobility in the urban environment more attractive with the creation of bike lanes, cycle paths or pedestrian itineraries", a line on which "work will continue" to "direct us towards this new city model that allows us to provide a definitive response to current challenges and those to come in the future”, both with its own funds and by requesting aid from supra-municipal administrations.

In this regard, he recalled that a few days ago the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda has resolved a subsidy in favour of the City Council of 3,181,000 euros from Next Generation Funds. Of these, "1.2 million are intended precisely to implement low emission zones in Levante, Centro and Poniente". Regarding the latter, he has specified that "through a subsidy from Alicante Provincial Council, the low-emissions project is being tendered to configure the Spanish Navy area as a single platform road."

With the vote of the entire Corporation, it has been agreed to ask Les Corts Valencianes for "the punctual modification" of the Law of Coordination of local police of the Valencian Community in the section referring to the reclassification of scales. This petition seeks to "adopt an equitable solution that protects" the officers who at the entry into force of the text "lack the academic qualification required for Group B of the Civil Service", the one corresponding to their scale.

As the Councilor for Citizen Security, Lorenzo Martínez, already pointed out weeks ago, "the reclassification to the executive scale" of local police officers "has raised" a "problematic" in relation "to the situation in which the officers remain. , career civil servants” who at the entry into force of the Law lack the “title of higher technician or equivalent”. Some career civil servants who, in many cases, accumulate years of service as officers, their trajectory and experience being key in the organization and operation of the Corps.

To overcome this problem and provide "an equitable solution", it is proposed that these officers be reclassified "automatically in the new Group B, exclusively for remuneration purposes" and be kept in it "until they prove that they have obtained the qualification levels required of said group, respecting, in any case, the right to mobility, the consolidated rights and the skills appropriate to the position”.

Martínez has pointed out that “the objective” of this proposal “is to add”. "We have seen that there is a flaw in the Law that if it can be corrected, the better."

By majority, with the vote of the local government and Cs, it has been approved to modify Fiscal Ordinance No. 4 regulating the Tax on the increase in value of urban land (IIVTNU) to adapt it to the new Royal Decree Law 26/2021 that affects to the Regulatory Law of Local Treasury. The Councilor for the Treasury, Aida García Mayor, explained that "the City Councils have the obligation to adapt our Ordinance to these regulations" and that, broadly speaking, "provides for a new formula" to calculate this tax.

García Mayor has clarified that "it seems to us an unfair tax", but "in view of the sentences that have led the Government of Spain to dictate a new text" it is essential "to adapt the municipal ordinance to the new normative reality" without this implying no increase in the amount to be paid by people who sell a property.

In urban matters, the plenary session has agreed to send two documents to the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment, Climate Change and Rural Development to complete the file of the partial plan 'Ensanche Levante', so that the environmental report is issued and the urban phase begins. An urban phase recalled the Councilor for Urban Planning, Lourdes Caselles, which "will be processed at the municipal headquarters."

Also with the vote of the entire Corporation, a temporary worker from the municipal group Cs has been granted the compatibility to be able to develop another professional activity.

In the same session, various judgments and orders on different procedures in which the City Council is a party, and which are resolved in favour of municipal interests, have been reported.