Bye-Law finally available on Orihuela Ayuntamiento Website

The Bye-law controlling the ownership and protection of animals, that has long been waited for is now available for reading and downloading from the Ordenanza section on the Orihuela Ayuntamiento website.

Unfortunately the Town Hall has still not made available the information leaflets about the new law, in English & Spanish, that have been promised although we have been advised that they (the leaflets) should be issued in the next few weeks.

It's your Money - Participate

The final Budgets for 2009 for the Municipality of Orihuela are due to be presented, by the government team of the PP, to the December meeting of the full Town Council for approval.

Los Verdes believe that it is essential that there is the facility for citizens to participate in the preparation of the municipal budgets, so as to include the needs and concerns of it's inhabitants. We advocate the system for a Participatory Budget similar to those prepared in other Spanish towns, where it is regulated that the residents can contribute in the preparations of the financial budgets.

The citizens pay the taxes so they should have a say how the money collected is spent.

Los Verdes want the inhabitants to be consulted and given the opportunity to contribute ideas for spending their money, on issues that really need it, and not as now where the PP ruling Councillors systematically ignore the views of the tax payers in favour of expenditure to maintain their (PP) political image.

Los Verdes of Orihuela have launched a campaign entitled
“It's your Money – Participate”
to collect suggestions from all the citizens of the Orihuela Municipality for the preparation of the council Budget for 2009.

During the month of November, and up to the final meeting of the Information Committee, prior to the presentation of the Budgets to the Town Council, Los Verdes will provide facilities to the citizens to enable them to participate in the development of the Budgets by forwarding their ideas. The suggestions received will be collated and, where possible, will be put forward as amendments to the draft budgets of the government team of the PP, prior to the December council meeting.

This is the opportunity for the residents of Orihuela Costa to express their views on those items that they feel are needed on the coast, and that should be included within the Budgets for 2009. These can be matters relating to cultural, social, health, transport, environment, and civic facilities that have an effect on the quality of peoples lives.

To help and encourage the residents living in Orihuela Costa to participate, Los Verdes are providing local methods of contact for putting forward their suggestions. They can be sent by email to losverdesorihuela@yahoo.es or elliotsampford@gmail.com , or given by telephone to 965319660 (English) and 965328190 (Multilingual), or by visiting the surgeries held in Orihuela Costa by Monserrate Guillén, Los Verdes Councillor for the Coast during November (details of the next surgery Los Verdes Surgery - 29th October), or by using the comments facility on this Blog.

Los Verdes Surgery - 29th October

The next surgery by Councillor Monserrate Guillén, Los Verdes Councillor for the Coast, will be held on the 29th October 2008 at the Celtic Isle in Playa Flamenca. He will be available from 10.00 am to 12.30 pm to discuss residents individual problems.

As all the previous surgeries have been very busy, if someone wants to ask for a specific time, to reduce waiting, they should contact us by email at either elliotsampford@gmail.com or losverdesorihuela@yahoo.es , or telephone 965319660 to request a time if it's available.

We provide translation facilties for English, French, German and Swedish into Spanish during the surgery.

The FREE Starter Kits, available for the People's 'Litter Pick-up' as part of the 'Clean up the Costa' campaign, will be available for collection during the surgery times from any of the Los Verdes members present.

Market forces at work in Campoamor

The following article appeared in the Costa Blanc News on Friday 1oth october 2008.

Monserrate Guillén has had a preliminary meeting with councillor José Manuel Cutillas, and the council member of staff responsible for the allocation of pitches at the market, to discuss the problems and possible solutions in relation to the market's future, that is referred to in the article.

Market forces at work in Campoamor

Laws to legalise car boot sales planned

By Nuria Pérez

ORIHUELA’S local councillor for markets José Manuel Cutillas told CBNews this week the council is planning changes to Campoamor street market.


According to the councillor they are looking at moving the market to a different area or allowing additional stalls.

And he admitted it was not proving as popular and busy as predicted.
He said: “Stalls offering different and original products are needed to attract more visitors.”

As a result the councillor is encouraging such traders to apply for a stall.
He added: “We will make a decision on December about how to promote the market.

"Campoamor market has many stalls of clothes and fruit and vegetables and it needs different products.

“We will check all applications and those traders offering something different will have a better chance of getting a stall.”

Several residents talked to Green party (Los Verdes) councillor Monserrate Guillén on Tuesday about the apparent unavailability of stalls being allocated.

Sr Guillén said he would meet councillor José Manuel Cutillas in the coming weeks to find a solution.

He said: “Sr Cutillas is really interested in promoting the market and in finding a good and suitable solution.

“However we think December is too late.

“A good variety of goods attract visitors and visitors attract more traders.”

According to Sr Guillén only 30 traders set up every Thursday in Campoamor even though more than 80 have been handed licences.

He added: “The traders lose their licence if they are missing for four weeks.”

When applying for a licence new traders should specify which goods they will be offering.

“I advise them to offer different goods to fruit and vegetables and clothes,” he added.

And in another development this week Sr Cutillas told CBNews the council is studying possibilities to legalise car boot sales.

He explained: “Car boot sales are a British tradition and they are pretty difficult to rule on because they are an unknown entity in Spanish law.
“Streets markets are ruled by local bylaws but this is not the case for car boot sales.

“We need to find or to create a special law to regulate them.
“Car boot sales must be respected must they must obey the law too.”
Sr Guillén said they would cooperate with the councillor in this matter.
He said: “Car boot sales cannot take place on the streets.

“We will suggest that they are held in special and safe places.”

nperez@cbnews.es

Campoamor Market Dominates Surgery

The Surgery held today (7th October 2008) was a very busy morning, starting at the new time of 10.00 a.m. Monserrate Guillén (centre left in photograph), Los Verdes Councillor for the Coast, discussed a variety of problems that residents wanted help with but the predominant subject was the situation with regards to the Campoamor market and the apparent unavailability of stalls being allocated to non-Spanish traders.

This matter was dealt with as a group discussion, so that Monserrate Guillén could gain information on both specific cases of applications for stalls, and the overall opinion about the current situation and suggestions for securing the future of the market. Louise Clarke from the Round Town News paper was present for this part of the meeting.

Several of the traders were advised and assisted in the completion of fresh applications for stalls where necessary, whilst others provided copies of applications already submitted. It was made clear to applicants for stalls by Councillor Guillén that whilst he was not directly involved in the allocation of spaces he would do his utmost on their behalf to seek for a successful conclusion to their application.

Everyone present agreed it was very important to see the survival and growth of a vibrant market at Campoamor in which an extensive variety of goods were available from a wide spectrum of traders. The commitment of the Los Verdes of Orihuela party to work for this aim was strongly re-affirmed.

Los Verdes concerns about the Campoamor Market

Members of the Los Verdes Working Group in Orihuela Costa were present at the Market in Campoamor on Thursday the 2nd October to promote the Clean up the Costa campaign.

Several people took the opportunity to talk to the representatives, of Los Verdes, about their concerns in respect of the management of the market in relation to the method of allocation of spaces, the number of continuing empty spaces, and the low numbers of the public attending each week.

It was confirmed that this is a matter of great concern to Los Verdes, who have been monitoring the actual situation over the past few weeks with visits to the market to collect relevant information. As a result, the party has been able to help one trader in the quest to successfully obtain a space at the market.

Several traders, both current and hopeful stall holders were given appointments to meet Councillor Monserrate Guillén, Councillor for the Coast, at the next Los Verdes surgery, to be held at the Celtic Isle on the 7th October, to discuss their concerns.