COUNCIL TAKES ON 34 WORKERS THROUGH EMPLOYMENT PLAN

Xàbia Council has taken on 34 workers employed through the social employment plan launched by the municipality as part of the economic and reactivation measures put together in the face of the COVID-19 health crisis. Mayor José Chulvi welcomed the new employees who were selected according to a set of social criteria from more than 350 applications. They will be working over the next few months on forest and public road maintenance, cleaning tasks and caretakers for municipal buildings that now need to have controlled access due to the pandemic.

The social employment programme falls within the Recuperem Xàbia initiative into which the Council has invested some 500,000 euros. It forms one of the social measures promoted by the town hall in response to the economic downturn caused by the declaration of a national state of alarm in March which lasted almost three months as the country responded to the spread of COVID-19. It has been especially aimed at people who have been registered for a minimum of three to six months interrupted public employment service and have not been receiving any benefit or grant.

In addition to this measures, the deadline remains open until 9.00am on Friday 21 April for the self-employed and mutualists in the municipality to apply for direct economic aid of 1,500 euros from the Council for those who have seen their activity reduced by the national state of alarm. The town hall has initially invested some 1.5 million euros of its own money into the scheme whilst budgeting for a further 1.5 million euros in case of need. This is one of highest amounts to be invested into direct aid in the Alicante region. For more information about applying for this aid, click here.

A total of some 6 million euros has been invested into the COVID-19 response plan through tax relief (which includes the suspension of rates for the occupation of the public highway to allow bars and restaurants to expand their terraces and assistance with water bills from AMJASA) and includes a 2.8 million euro investment into Social Services to meet requests for emergency assistance and basic services.