The Councillor for Hacienda announced that the Almuñécar Town Hall has managed to reduced the public debt by six million euros.

This sum, Councillor Antonio Laborda states, was achieved during the period of the last three years: in 2010 the total debt stood at 42,622,000 euros, whereas at the close of 2013 it stood at 36,474,127. He also pointed out that during these three years Almuñécar has been governed by his party, the PP.

“This demonstrates,” he said, “that the said budget was based on realistic data and not on speculation, which allowed us to close the year with a surplus of around 2,000 euros.”

Finally, he pointed that during this time they had three payouts to local traders owed outstanding debts from previous years, but even so the Town Hall managed to end up with a surplus.

However, the PA opposition doesn’t see it this way…

The PA considers that the Mayor’s party has in fact run up a further 18 million in debt thanks to squandering money on fiestas, party propaganda and the “needless renovation” of office space in the Town Hall building.

They say that the Councillor of Hacienda has hidden from the general public an advancement of funds received from the Mancomunidad of 6,695,985 euros, which will be paid off by locals over the next 17 years as part of their water bills, with a 26% interest on top.

Readers may wonder who is telling the truth – we certainly are.

(News: Almunecar, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)