Benidorm joins the agreement for the inspection of tourist apartments

The inclusion of the Generalitat (Catalan Government) in the agreement permitting inspections of tourist accommodations and the enforcement of sanctions in the event that any irregularities are found was accepted by the Benidorm City Council plenary session yesterday, Monday 31st March.

The PSPV-PSOE (Socialist Party) abstained, claiming that the agreement constitutes “a dereliction of duty by the Generalitat” and that Benidorm City Council “does not have sufficient resources” to adequately carry out the inspection tasks. In its regular plenary session for the month of March, the council approved this point with the votes of 16 local government councillors from the PP and one Vox councillor.

The council will, however, bolster the Local Police force by creating 20 new jobs, which means that “there will be more material and personnel resources,” according to government spokesperson Lourdes Caselles.

In addition, Caselles claims that “there have already been several meetings with experts from the regional ministry and the city councils” who have shown interest in making sure that “this delegation can be implemented as quickly as possible.” One such meeting was with the Benidorm delegation.

Power delegation

After taking on the duties, Benidorm agrees to create a report every three months detailing the complaints that have been made, the open files and how they have been resolved, and any penalties that have been applied.

The municipal administration stated that the Architecture Department “is working on an ordinance to regulate tourist housing and to provide security and strengthen this type of tourist accommodation, provided that regulations are followed.”

As a result, Benidorm is among the first cities in the community to take over the delegation of authority and start conducting inspections.

The agreement for the financing of improvements and replacement of the wastewater treatment and sanitation facilities was also unanimously approved by the local council at its plenary session. This would handle the current Benidorm WWTP’s restoration needs and fix the structural and electrical installation flaws in the wastewater pumping stations, requiring an investment of €14,520,000.