Torrevieja increases councillor salaries

The Official Gazette of the Alicante Province has published details of the new salaries for the new mandate of the Torrevieja council, for secretaries and the 25 positions of trust, which are still to be designated: the chief of staff of the Mayor's Office, the press chief and the technical director of the council, with a remuneration each of 43,700 euros gross per year; protocol and institutional relations (30,000); Municipal Institute of Culture, Advisors of Works and Tourism (28,000); advisors of Social Welfare, press, municipal school of theatre, international residents, institutional image, Security and Youth (27,000), Culture, Social Goods and Festivals (23,700). They were published in a plenary session which has also approved, the salaries of the

25 councillors (six of them have renounced a municipal salary to maintain their professional activity), with a rise of 3%.

Councillors who perform their functions with exclusive dedication - may not have another activity with salary - will charge 3,800 euros per month for the position of deputy mayor, 3,600 euros if a councillor with a specific office and 2,900 if a councillor without delegation. The amounts in the previous mandate were E3,712, E3,495 and E2,838 respectively.

The PSOE spokeswoman, Barbara Soler, will receive a salary of 2,900 euros per month while neither Salvador Ruso, number one of Vox, nor Pablo Samper, of Sueña, will receive a salary, although both voted in favour of the increase.

Spain will preside over Europe until the end of the year

The cost of living and inflation are also expected to be raised, especially as the UK Government is still blaming all of the things that affect other countries with much lower inflation, and isn´t able to address either the elephant in every room (Brexit), nor the fact that financial experts say it is company profiteering raising inflation in the UK, not wages, contrary to the Government’s mantra. Whilst some of the country is in ashes, Emmanuel Macron pays a state visit to Germany on Monday and Tuesday, as the two countries continue to mend relations following disagreements last year, notably over energy and defence issues, that led to a delay in their annual joint cabinet meeting.

For sports fans, Wimbledon begins on Monday, and the third Ashes test on Thursday, as well as the UK athletics championship at the weekend.

You might also be interested to note that Friday marks a year since Boris Johnson resigned as Conservate party leader. This week is also alcohol awareness week. We are in no way suggesting those two facts are linked.

With many unable to attend, and with others prevented from attending, approximately 30 members from the former Orihuela Costa Branch of the Royal British Legion were present at last Thursday evening’s meeting, called by the District committee, to decide on their future.

Flown in from Antwerp was the Overseas Member, Bob Chambers, and from London, the MEO Overseas, Fiona Hedges. Members made the point that that their attendance, at a substantial cost to the RBL, was completely unnecessary.

Although the decision on the branch future was taken by a vote of members, the meeting was directed by the Overseas Member and the District Chairman, the two very people responsible for it’s current situation, after they had removed the branch chairman for allowing a 79 year old Standard Bearer to parade, on a hot Autumn day, in shirt sleeve order.

Branch members actually requested that no decision be made until outstanding complaints affecting the

District Chairman had been resolved by the Legion Complaints Committee, however this was not acceptable to either the District Committee or to Chambers. Further options included the reinstatement of the former committee, although the Overseas member said that was not going to happen. Being, therefore, unable to form a committee, the third option, that was agreed, was for the branch to become a District Supported Branch, with the appointment of two points of contact. These were nominated as Michael Phillips and Neil Reardon.

The branch will continue, therefore, although in not much more than name only, while an appeal into it’s closure, as well as the removal of it’s committee, and complaints about the Conduct of the District Chairman, continue to be considered by the Legion Complaints Committee in London.

Membership of the Orihuela has dropped by over 20% since the branch was put into administration 9 months ago and despite the unusual call by District for an administrative and financial audit of the branch, the only aim of which would have been to discredit the former committee, and which quite clearly had ‘tongues wagging’, the RBL Auditor in London found all procedures and funds to be absolutely correct.