CITIZEN CARD

Los Verdes of Orihuela have put forward the proposal to the ruling PP Council that it introduces the system of a 'Citizen Card' similar to that adopted by other Spanish Municipalities such as Gijon, San Sebastian, La Coruña, Palma de Mallorca, Leon, Carmona, and others.

The value of the card is that it has the opportunity to offer two distinct beneficial uses to the citizens of the Orihuela Municipality.

In the first place the card could be used as the key to access council information and services via the internet or customer service point facilities within Council premises. This would work in two directions, with information being available for viewing and downloading, and conversely for uploading information to enable updating of personal details including application forms where needed. The only limitations would be dependant on the level of service offered by the Council in relation to the necessary modernization of the administrative services it is prepared to offer it's citizens.

The second major area of use is in relation to the access of public facilities and services such as municipal library, swimming pool, museums, car parking, and public transport. The card would offer both a method of identification and payment where required. There would be the facility to charge the card with a monetary value at Council ATM machines, situated at various locations throughout the municipality, and then the credit balance used for the payment of any fees, charges, or fares that may be due.

It would be a card for personal use and not transferable, with a magnetic stripe, which would replace other existing identification systems, such as library card or the subscriber to the municipal swimming pools or civic centres. The card would be essential to use these services and to access all the others. In some towns there is an additional benefit of discount being offered by some retailers to shoppers who are holders of the card.

The Citizen Card would be supplied to permanent and temporary residents free of charge by the Council, and there would be no annual or commission charges associated with it. The Scheme is provided and controlled solely by the Ayuntamiento with no involvement of banks.

Los Verdes urge the governing PP Council to introduce the Citizen Card as a step forward in the modernization of the municipal government, so as to offer the citizens an open and transparent system of government, something that they have a right to but have not seen up to this time.