A group of house owners received the keys for their new homes only to find that they are literally homeless because large cracks have appeared and the buildings are unsafe – a ‘first,’ here in Andalucía, of course.
It was a joyous day, a little over a year ago, when they moved in, and now, although they can’t live in them, they still have to religiously pay their mortgage payments.
Granada Costa
news from the Costa Tropical (Granada): Almunecar, La Herradura, Motril & Salobrena
Costa Granadina
by Editor •
Businessmen from the main towns on the Costa Granadina are sick to death of politicians putting into danger the chance of the coast receiving literally millions of euros. They claim that our politicians’ inability to agree on even one ‘tourism initiative’ will let 40 million euros slip by. The businessmen are outraged by this and strongly reproach the political class of the Costa Granadina for being unwilling to unite in a common cause for the welfare of the coast.
“Outrageous expense”
by Martin Myall •
The Almuñécar PP are decrying the Mayor for the ‘exaggerated’ expense of the Peña Escrita mountain park.
Illuminating the rock…
by Editor •
Good news: there is new lighting on El Peñon del Santo, more commonly known as the cross on the rock.
Although the rock has been illuminated before, it had fallen into disrepair and the work on the new lighting system took so long that some of the new installations deteriorated and broke before the whole was completed. The job fell to the Granada company, Montajes Electricos Mañas about two years ago with a budget of 88,000 euros.
Student Theatre Group
by Editor •
We have reported on this student theatre group before, made up of pupils from Almuñécars’ oldest secondary school, IES Antigua Sexi. SKS Teatro is a gem that enjoys more acclaim outside our municipal borders than within, but isn’t that always the story. The Spanish have a saying: Profeta en su tierra nunca prospera, which literally translates as: a prophet never prospers in his own land, or in other words, we never value our own talent amongst us.
Municipal Tax Collection
by Editor •
The municipal tax collection service continues to collect complaints from the political opposition. The PSOE socialists claim that the tax-collecting service is a ‘real disaster and chaotic.’ They say that the taxpayer is confused because each different tax is collected in different time periods and the voluntary periods for payment varying in length.
Almuñécar Bankrupt?
by Editor •
The Mayor, Juan Carlos Benavides, declared a ‘suspension of payments,’ which is more often than not, a prelude to insolvency. This is a highly controversial announcement for the Town Hall to make. Many in the opposition feel, (as well as quite a few Almuñequeros in general), that coming after the huge financial outlay on the Referendum campaign, this is hard to swallow.
Roadwork Trouble
by Martin Myall •
And the prize for the most ridiculous road works goes to…Yes, you’ve guessed it, last years winners; Almuñécar!
Tribulations for the Mayor
by Martin Myall •
There are further tribulations for the Mayor, with the Public Prosecutor breathing down his neck over his dubious divorce and alleged fraud to hide his patrimony from possible embargo.
This all goes back to the setting up of a semi private company in the late 80’s with sizeable public funds, giving the Town Hall the controlling shares. This company, Tropicalfruits, went bankrupt and subsequent investigation uncovered unconventional and deficient bookkeeping. It was found, for instance, that the company had been buying fruit at a greater price than it had been selling it.
Cajasol protest in Almuñécar
by David Darby •
Employees from a building company, who haven’t received any salaries since November, protested outside the Almuñécar branch of the Cajasol. The company owner claims that the savings bank is subjecting him to a financial blockade, which has caused this shortfall.