The Local Government (Somos Calpe, PSPV and Compromís) has today approved in plenary session to allocate 1,775,108.25 euros from the Treasury surplus from the settlement of the 2024 budget to a total of sixteen initiatives. The council has drawn up a report on the works and investments that will be financed from the surplus and which must be carried out by 2025.
Among the investments, the Empedrola - Balcón de Bernia road project stands out with a budget of €220,000, the accessibility works on the Banda and Social Services building with an investment of €150,458, and the asphalting of roads in the Bassetes, Calalga and La Fossa residential areas for a total of €650,000.
In terms of sports, €126,757 will be allocated to the creation of an outdoor municipal gym, €71,984 to lighting for the football pitch and €15,262 to lighting for the Benítez sports courts and the Frontón area.
There are also plans to allocate €90,000 to LED lighting in the Old Town, €48,000 for acoustic improvements to the Civic Centre and €40,000 for lighting and sound in the Auditorium.
Other projects included in the surplus are the Local Police hut in La Fossa for €35,000, the installation of the Tourism Department hut on Arenal-Bol beach for €60,000, the installation of railings and ropes in Las Salinas for €80,000 and on the beaches for €20,000.
In addition, €60,000 will be allocated to fencing the El Saladar pet park, €7,645 to the purchase of a vehicle for Civil Protection and €100,000 to continue with the installation of video surveillance cameras.
The mayoress, Ana Sala, stated that ‘the Economic Plan requires us to be cautious and, although it allows us to spend up to €8 million in 2025, we are not going to do so. What we will do is implement a series of projects that are already prepared, representing investments worth €1,775,108.25’.
The Popular Party spokesperson, Miguel Crespo, pointed out that ‘the numbers do not add up. We are concerned that they are patching things up and conditioning future budgets. We have detected shortcomings that we do not know how to solve in the future and that may limit Calp's progress. I want to raise the alarm because this is a paradoxical situation: either we break the spending rule again or the investments are not made’. Councillor Ximo Perles replied that ‘this is not the case, the surplus is more than 8 million, we can spend up to that 8 million and for the moment we are going to spend 1,700,000 euros’.
ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL PLAN
According to the government team, Calp Town Council currently enjoys a healthy economic situation, with no bank or financial debt, €46 million in cash in its bank accounts and a treasury surplus of €26,825,247.80.
However, current fiscal rules require the City Council to present a Financial Economic Plan (PEF) 2025, due to a breach of the spending rule. This breach is temporary, not structural, and is directly related to the readjustment to state fiscal rules, following their suspension during the COVID-19 pandemic. This Plan was approved today in plenary session, with the votes in favour of the government and the abstention of the opposition, with the aim of controlling and limiting spending.
Statements
The spokesperson for Defendamos Calpe, Paco Quiles, pointed out that "Calp has exceeded its spending by 6 million. Defendamos Calpe has been warning that the spending limit was being exceeded. To say that Calp Town Council is in good financial health is not accurate. We would like to know what the money has been spent on and we would like to see an investment schedule. The money should not be in the bank; it should be used to provide public services".
Miguel Crespo of the Popular Party stated that ‘the economic and financial plan is a political document because it derives from political management. In our opinion, they have mismanaged the economy. They have broken the fiscal rules and spent 6 million euros more than they could have. This plan will condition the Town Council's management for the coming years and represents a 30% failure to execute the budget.’
Ximo Perles, government spokesperson, has indicated that ‘The plan has no adjustments because it is not expected that the budget will be executed 100%, but it is impossible to execute the budget 100% for various reasons, whether in chapter 1 or in the reductions in contracting. It is not fair to talk about disastrous management; what we disagree on is what to spend it on.’
The mayoress, Ana Sala, has indicated that ‘We did not comply with the spending rule because 2023 was an election year, and in an election year, especially if there is a change of government, it is impossible to execute the budget. In 2023, spending was reduced, and in 2024, which was a full financial year, the budget was spent as planned’.