You will have seen the term mancomunidad used often in our articles but who they are and what they do is probably not that clear.

A Mancomunidad de Municipios is a body set up to represent a group of towns to cover their water needs, including sewage disposal. It’s English translation would be commonwealth; i.e., a body that manages the common wealth of several townships.

Now, in the case of the Mancomunidad de Costa Tropical, the vast majority of their budget goes on salaries, which for the most part are political appointments.

There are technical posts but all department heads are politicians, whose nomination is pacted between the different political parties; they share out the juicy jobs. The Chairwoman, for instance, is the Mayor of Albuñol, María José Sánchez.

The budget for the Mancomunidad de Municipios de Costa Tropical for 2022 is 900,000 euros.

The 2019 figures show that Chairwoman Sánchez (Albuñol/PSOE) for her 18.5h-per-week dedication earnt 23,800 per annum. Mancomunidad councillors Rocío Palacios de Haro (Almuñécar/PSOE) and Maria del Mar Jiménez Sánchez (Polopos/PSOE) both earnt 23,200 for a 22.5-hour dedication per week. Gregorio Morales Rico (Motril/PSOE) earnt 22,500. Maria Flor Almón Fernández (Salobreña/PSOE) earnt 10,500 per annum as Vice Chairwoman for a 5.5h week.

Remember, they’re all earning salaries as councillors in their respective town councils.

All the work along the coast, digging up roads to lay new mains pipes and sewage pipes, is done at the orders of the Mancomunidad through the private company Aguas y Servicios to whom the Mancomundidad extended a service contract for over 20 years to act as its water-utility company. The length of the contract was hotly criticised at the time.

(News: Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)