Despite recent announcements by local councillors indicating that the services provided to coastal residents has shown a marked improvement in 2017, Orihuela’s Coastal Associations say that they are far from happy with the management of the Orihuela Costa provided by the Oriolan government.

The Federation of Associations of the Orihuela Costa (FAOC), which brings together many residents of coastal developments, gives a ‘thumbs down’ to the management of the Orihuela government stating that “many areas within the Orihuela Costa continue to suffer neglect in terms of their municipal management in 2017”.

And they give as an example the “insufficient” investment policy and the inadequate provision of services, “especially in the areas of waste collection and road cleaning ” that are causing social alarm within the neighbourhood “and that the FAOC has brought to the attention of the Síndic de Greuges (Provincial Ombudsman).

A majority of residents say that they do not believe many of the announcements “of hype and propaganda released by the government team of comprising PP and Cs” of developments such as the Playas de Orihuela school or the Emergency Centre, since both of these facilities are being built and paid for with resources and funding from outside the municipal coffers .

They also say that they are dissatisfied with investments such as the remodelling of the coastal promenade, the maintenance of parks and gardens and the repairs of roads because the finance is provided from the sale of Orihuela Costa land. Neither has there been anything other than empty promises with regard to the construction of a Multicultural Centre.

The FAOC also highlights the failure of government assurances such as the creation of the District Boards which were adopted in July 2016 but have so far failed to be introduced.