The Salobreña Town Hall has approved taking another multi-million euro loan, this time for 2.8m. With the said funds to pay off local debts and for the Town Hall to be able to ‘function.’

The Mayor insists that the operation is not ‘a whim’,  as under existing legislation town halls are obligated to terminate loan policies before the 31st of December. Having paid off the existing ones, they now need funds to operate.

However, IU councillor,Ángel Coello was very critical of this decision and voted against the motion, which did not stop it being approved with the combined votes of the PP and PSOE.  He said that he was forced to do so out of ‘coherence’ because during the last legislature the opposition, including the PSOE, always voted against such measures. He basically believes that these temporary measure (taking out loans to pay off local creditors) are becoming a permanent arrangement.

Sr. Coello points out that of the 1,400,000 euros owing to the rubbish-collection company for 2011,only 200,000 has been paid off, despite the fact that the Town Hall had collected, in that time, 900,000 euros in rubbish-collection tax (IBI). The IU councillor claims that this local tax money is being used, instead, to pay town-hall salaries, instead of handing over the money to the rubbish-collection company so that they can pay their workers’ salaries.  Whilst he admits that this is legal, he does not consider it to be ethical.

(News:Salobrena, CostaTropical, Granada, Andalucia)