Budget 2022: Opposition claims that there has been a lack of dialogue in its preparation
Ciudadanos Xàbia spokesman Enrique Escrivá claims that “these budgets are like a plate of lentils, take it or leave it”.
The spokesperson for C's in Xàbia, Enrique Escrivá, together with the Central Cinema, in an image sent by the councillor himself.
Thursday 27th January 2022 – CARLOS LÓPEZ with Mike Smith
The spokesman for Ciudadanos Xàbia, Enrique Escrivá, has given his own assessment of the draft of the municipal budget that is being put to a vote in this month’s plenary session today and has criticized the “lack of dialogue and predisposition” of the local government when incorporating proposals of the opposition parties.
He explained that “these budgets are like a plate of lentils, take it or leave it” and don’t “allocate a single euro” so that the residents can get involved and decide on the actions of the council through some participatory budgeting meetings, an initiative which, according to Escrivà, “have been so successful in other municipalities such as Pedreguer”.
In his opinion, the 2022 budget ignores historical demands and specific projects such as the Central Cinema and the second sports pavilion, neither of which appear in the budget proposal whilst those large-scale projects which do appear are about to be completed. In addition, neither the auditorium or the industrial estate, both projects which are currently paralysed, appear in the proposals. “We know nothing,” lamented Escrivà.
He added that there appears to be no “clear and determined commitment” to monitor the state of the posidonia seagrass meadows on the Xàbia coast, something which he explains could be achieved through agreements with the Oceanographic Foundation or the Coastal Ecology Institute.
Escrivà also highlighted that the local government has missed the opportunity to tackle the ongoing issue with public transport in the town, failing to allocate any funding to carry out a detailed study of the needs of the people of Xàbia which would provide solutions to “put an end to the outdated service that we currently have” and lay the foundations to provide an urban bus service with routes and schedules adapted to the needs of the residents of not only the urban centres but also the urbanizations. He added that the council could incorporate money to provide an agreement with the local taxi sector to cover part of the cost of being on duty 24 hours a day, especially during the low season.
Escrivá abstained in the vote last Monday on the budgets in the Finance Commission, as confirmed by the councillor himself to XAD after issuing his statement.
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