The PSOE says it will fight the budget in court and looks at the TARC’s decision to throw out the transport contract specifications.
The Socialist group in Torrevieja says that there may have been problems with how the money from the sale of public land was included in the budget. They also call the PP’s handling of the urban transport contract a “botched job.”
Soler said they didn’t make any changes to the original budget approval “out of consistency.” “We decided to vote against a budget that we think will put the city in debt and is not socially responsible, but we will present our proposals through motions.” So far, though, none of our contributions have been endorsed by the PP. We have backed suggestions from all factions, so it’s evident who is acting with sectarianism: not the local PSOE.
She also said she was surprised that the PP contacted VOX to add budget items for the requests they made in the last plenary session and tried to pass them off as changes. “We didn’t get any calls, but if the PP’s goal was to make it look like the PSOE is the only party in the opposition, we’re fine with that.” We are the other choice.
The Socialist also talked about how the other organisations voted for the budget. They said that “with that support, other things become clear, like why Mr. Samper didn’t say anything or vote for the motion to protect the municipal housing stock.” But it’s up to each party to decide whether or not to support the budget, and we all have the right to alter our minds at any time.
In the case of VOX, they made their vote depend on a promise from the People’s Party that, according to Soler, there was never any intention of fulfilling “because withdrawing and refunding the increase in the garbage collection fee, which, incidentally, was implemented by the governing team itself under its own conditions, without accepting any of our input, would imply a much smaller budget than the one they are presenting. I was astonished that they didn’t tell VOX about this.
In this situation, the Socialists have said they will submit formal objections about the 2026 budget since it includes 18 million euros from the sale of property that was supposed to be used to build subsidised housing (VPO) and was supposed to be part of the city’s housing stock.
The PSOE says that this operation could break the rules for owning public land, “because financial compensation cannot lead to a public transfer without a proper disposal process, appraisal, and open bidding.” The group calls the entry “illegal” and says that if it is confirmed, “there would not be enough credit to carry out the planned investments.”
The Socialists have also said that Mazón’s adoption of new rules will make it harder for people to get public housing. “It lets subsidised housing be declassified early without a minimum term, and it also sets maximum terms.” This means that the homes developed for young people will be available for sale to anyone in 2040, even though they were built on public property and with help from institutions. “We will lose the land, the homes, and the ability to control people.”
The Socialist spokeswoman also talked about what the mayor said when he said, “Bárbara Soler is clueless and doesn’t understand anything.” “These aren’t opinions; they’re facts that can’t be argued with. “But I won’t say that the mayor doesn’t know anything,” Soler said. “He understands exactly what’s going on in this City Hall, and that’s what worries me. I won’t claim he doesn’t know, because he does, and that’s the most important thing.
The Socialist group was happy with the Central Administrative Court of Contractual Appeals (TARC) decision to throw out the People’s Party (PP) bidding criteria for the urban transport contract. “The court has stopped an operation that we think is wrong.”
The PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party) has said that the transport contract has not been granted in six years and that the city is still using old buses while the service is supplied without a contract for about €260,000 a month. “The PP (People’s Party) has been going from one crisis to the next for years, and they lost €3.5 million in European funds along the way, some of which they had to pay back with interest.” “The mayor denied this over and over,” they said.
The Socialists also said that the City Council gave a bus supply contract three years ago for more than €17 million, but it was never signed because “there was no money to pay for it.” They further said that the PP now wants to pass this financial burden on to the company that will get the bus service contract that the TARC (Regional Administrative Court of Catalonia) has cancelled, but with an extra €1 million compared to the original plan. “This rise has no legal basis; it can’t even be applied through price changes, which are against the law.”
Bárbara Soler said, “It was not allowed in the bus acquisition contract, nor by changing the contract, because the contract never went into effect.”
The TARC (Administrative Court of Contractual Appeals) has said the same thing, making it clear that it doesn’t apply. “They got to the audit before we did, but it confirms what we’ve been saying,” they said.
“The PP (People’s Party) sells management, but what’s behind that marketing is a bad job. The spokesperson said, “We will continue to audit the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party) to show the people of Torrevieja that behind the triumphalism there is improvisation and opacity.”
Author: Derek Appleton
No Comment! Be the first one.