P.I.O.C. - A Party of Hope for the future of Orihuela Costa

You do the Voting - We take up the Struggle

Because of it’s abandonment by successive administration’s going back many years, Orihuela Costa has had its image, as one of Spain’s Crown Jewels, severely tarnished, sewage on beaches, overflowing dustbins, dirty streets, a lack of basic infrastructure and amenities.

We doubt that there is a Municipal Council in Spain as inefficient and as clumsy as the one in Orihuela. But is it just inefficiency or is there something more?

We hear regular examples of companies failing to be paid for month after month, often resulting in them building up severe debts; there is no money for materials to repair our roads, vehicles are being driven without insurance; it is impossible not to be suspicious. Abandonment, apathy, neglect, and shame are just a few of the comments that residents of Orihuela Costa make about the management of the Orihuela Council, with one serving councillor telling PIOC, that there will never be any major expenditure on the coast because it is not in the interest of Orihuela’s politicians.!

However, nothing could be further from the truth because, as the population is expands, it will not be too long at all before the COAST is bigger than the rest of Orihuela combined. Legislators are beginning to get nervous, and in the fullness of time victory will most certainly be ours.

But as we look ahead to the coming weekend, 28 May and the Municipal Elections, Orihuela Costa is in a fight for its very future, with PIOC taking on the challenge, as the only real party for the coast, of battling for your future.

With the smoke and mirrors, the fake promises, being rolled out almost every day of the week by our adversaries, many established politicians are fighting for their very futures, so they will say anything to secure your vote. Of course they want to retain their prized possession as well as the many financial benefits that they will inevitably accrue, but don’t be fooled by these false promises; judge them on their previous performances and when so doing, remember; Orihuela Costa is in it’s worst condition ever. Just look around, potholes in our roads, abandoned children’s playgrounds, littered streets. Same old record, going round and round and round!

But even though the coast is at a low ebb, P.I.O.C. can offer you hope amidst these political and economic instabilities, because right now, as a result of all this mismanagement, by bringing together a bit of 'people power’those with real commitment, energy and pas- nary session. sion, anything is possible, a real window of opportunity, because more of us than ever want change.

Finally, an attempt was made to approve it in the plenary session at the end of January, but Eduardo DolÛn was not in the town hall at that time, and the corresponding delegation was not made so that the deputy mayors could act in his name, so the commissions prior to the plenary session were annulled by law.

The delay in the approval of these works accumulated by the mismanagement of Eduardo DolÛn, was 356 days meaning an important cost overrun of e 800,000.

The Ciudadanos candidate for Mayor of Orihuela, José Aix, continued with his electoral campaign, in La Lonja, on Saturday, at a rally attended by 500 supporters.

Once again his emphasis was on the Orihuela historic city centre, stating that it is “a place we all treasure but that we are letting die; so, we have to review the Special Plan for the Historic Centre to provide solutions", as well as “completely revising the Catalog of Protected Assets that provides legal recognition that historical buildings in Orihuela need”.

It was only when Luisa Boné took to the stage that there was any mention of Orihuela Costa, when she spoke about the work he has carried out to improve services and infrastructure on the coast.

Orihuela Costa.

The growing discontent is evident in all districts of Orihuela. The lack of services, infrastructure and maintenance resulted in P.I.O.C being formed, to apply pressure on the government to accept its responsibilities, sadly that has not been forthcoming, therefore P.I.O.C decided to register as a legal political party, to campaign for segregation, independence from Orihuela city, to manage its own district affairs as so many surrounding Orihuela Costa have done successfully.

La Murada, a village north of Orihuela, formed an Association to campaign for segregation in 2004, almost 20 years ago, we know other villages have intentions to segregate from Orihuela.

P.I.O.C will support their cause as neighbouring villages have helped us with information and advice about their successful segregation, gained independence.

P.I.O.C. is not left of centre, nor is it on the right. It is absolutely where it wants to be, in Orihuela Costa, fighting for our town and the enhanced wellbeing of it’s residents.

P.I.O.C - A party of hope – A party for the future – A party that will justify your vote on 28M

P.I.O.C GOES INTO THE HEARTLANDS OF ORIHUELA

In addition to speaking locally, P.I.O.C is going into the heartlands of Orihuela this week, because of the growing discontent as it meets with the residents of villages surrounding the

The following P.I.O.C. - Info Presentations will also be held at the venues listed:

Tuesday 23rd May 17.00h at the Lucky Lion bar at Lomas de Cabo Roig

Wednesday 24th May 13.00h at the Emerald Isle, La Florida

16.00h at Leeson St, Los Dolses

17.00h - Plaza de la Iglesia – Torremendo

Thursday 25th May 9.00h. The street market at Aquamarina Cabo Roig.

1600h The Lime Bar Via Park lll

1700h Centro Civico Alameda del Mar –

Orihuela Costa

Friday 26th May 17.00h - Emergency Centre La Zenia (by Consum)

Gracia Wants Costa Town Hall As Cultural Centre

Optimising resources to provide new areas and services to the residents of Orihuela Costa is one of the objectives of the PSOE program according to the Mayor of Orihuela, Carolina Gracia, who is running for re-election, as she responds to the needs and demands of the residents.

Among the proposals, she wants to turn the town hall in Playa Flamenca, into a cultural and multi-purpose centre that includes a study room, a children's library and an assembly hall. This was announced in a meeting with representatives of AVCRL, Tomás Moreno and Unai Villanueva, on Wednesday.

This option, she explained, involves relocating all the municipal services offered at the current town hall to the Emergency Centre, located on Avenida Miguel de Cervantes, a building with 4,700 square metres".

This will enable, "all different administrative services to be unified in the same building, in addition to facilitating plenty of parking."

Gracia said that this allows residents "to have the facility they are demanding on the Coast."

She also spoke of a need to implement the "Plan Costa Orihuela" for the maintenance of infrastructures across the entire municipal government that includes a gradual increase in the budget of 10% in each year of the mandate.

In addition, Gracia proposed carrying out a shock plan with the remnants of the City Council's budget, which "could start immediately."

The mayor also promised to increase the urban solid waste cleaning and management service, with a 40% increase in the number of employees by 2027, as well as the creation of an eco-park and an improvement plan for pruning collection.

She spoke of improvements to the beaches with a subsidy of 2 million euros through the Next Generation funds of the EU and an improved transport network.

In all the document featured 35 specific proposals for the coast, "which is still open to new additions by virtue of additional suggestions and ideas that we are collecting in meetings and personal contributions", she concluded.

PARTIDO POPULAR PROGRAMME & TEAM FOR ORIHUELA COSTA

On 16 May at La Glea beach, Campoamor, ttended by a large crowd, the Popular Party, supported by C.L.A.R.O, presented its programme for Orihuela Costa and the team for its implementation.

The atmosphere was vibrant and positive. The consensus of opinion polls is that the Popular Party will win the Orihuela municipal election on 28 May and will form the next government. The interest in the programme for Orihuela Costa was therefore heightened.

Since a key element in the programme is the re-establishment of the position in the government of Councillor for the Coast but this time with a budget, the presentation of the team to implement the programme was met with much interest. The programme is the most detailed and complete for the reform of services and improvement of the quality of life of residents of the coast that has been seen. There are nearly one hundred proposals.

They range from realisation of the much demanded multi-use Cultural Centre in a prominent site close to

La Zenia Boulevard with a modern concept Library, a second Health Centre, construction of the decades awaited footbridge over the AP-7 motorway to ensure the safety of pedestrians at the danger point of Lomas de Cabo Roig, completion of the 16 kilometre continuous coastal path from Punta Prima to Mil Palmeras, to improvement of the maintenance of parks and gardens and road and pavements.

There will be a radical reform of the street cleaning and rubbish removal service which will include an eco park for the deposit of solid waste next to the new site for the Urban street cleaning and rubbish removal work force centre at Pau 26 and improvements in the collection of garden waste.

There have been many apparently attractive programmes for Orihuela Costa from many different political parties in the past. The difference this time is not only that the PPis predicted to head the government after the 28 May election but that there will be a major structural reform in the government of Orihuela Costa.

The Councillor for the Coast to be appointed will be Raul Fernandez a resident of the coast. He will be supported by a team consisting of three people who are on the Popular Party candidate list, all residents of the coast. Most prominent will be Antonio Cerdan, President of C.L.A.R.O. Also of importance is the presence of Sonia Huertas, candidate in 2019 who has worked conscientiously for the coast for the past 4 years.

C.L.A.R.O will campaign for a Popular Party government knowing that the chances of the coast electing even one councillor will be made impossible this year, since Brexit will reduce the previously important number of British eligible voters. The number of non-Spanish eligible voters in the whole municipality has dropped by 30% to just over 3,000.

With this ambitious development programme, the prospect of governing and a strong and able team of Orihuela Costa residents to implement the programme, C.L.A.R.O is convinced that this election will be a game-changer and that the reforms and improvements for which we have been campaigning for 16 years will at last become a reality.

Cambiemos promise better social care

Cambiemos Orihuela is putting social care at the forefront of it’s policies in the Municipal Elections, social rights at a local level in a City Council that protects care, fights inequality and looks toward improving well being. Among those launching the manifesto in Orihuela’s Plaza de la Salud were candidates, María García Sandoval and María Menárguez, together with the VP of the Generalitat, Aitana Mas.

Sandoval explained that "although there has been an increase in social policies on the part of the Generalitat, many have not materialized in Orihuela, due to the lack of political will. She said that "we have a Council that that has no desire to strengthen social rights and understand that public policies that are key to improving people's lives."