Veïns de Parcent - Newsletter Nº 52 - 14th April 2007

Dear friends,

Reminder 1 - There is still a chance to check if you are duly inscribed on the Electoral Roll - Ernesto, one of the CDP councillors, complained to the Election local supervisors in Denia about the days on which we could go to the town hall, and they ordered the town hall to open Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, from 11:00 to 13:00 each day. A number of people have been today. IF YOU ARE NOT SURE, GO AND CHECK! We have found far too many who are NOT on the Roll - several dozens! - so don't risk losing your vote. Take ID with you, in case you need to fill in the claim form.

Reminder 2 - Presentation of the CDP's candidates.
Tuesday, 17th April - 9 p.m. at the Club de Convivencia (or the town hall - sorry, cannot be confirmed until Tuesday morning).
Many thanks to everyone who has already very generously made donations towards the CDP's election expenses.
CAM account no: 2090 0183 87 0040075342.

Reminder 3 - Manifestation in Valencia on Saturday, 21st April.
Please let Jacqui know if you wish to join the bus going to this "mani". I believe it will leave from the flats at 4 p.m, but she will have full details. Organised by Compromis del Territori, they are putting ever more pressure on the Valencian Government to address our justified complaints. Please support it!

High Court ruling
The Valencian High Court has ruled that the case brought by the CDP and Veins is not admissible as the decisions taken on 30th January were not final, but only provisional. As stated before, we are appealing the decision and do not know yet how this affects the stop on the El Replá PAI being processed further. The Barranquet Association's case has not been decided yet, as far as we know.

European Parliament - Petition committee's report
You can now see the whole 24-page report on the MEP's visit to Spain last month, here on our web site - scroll down to the "Latest News" section. It is very critical of the way Spain, in general, and Valencia in particular are organising their land laws. Maybe this time something will be done by those in authority to give us back our right to own property, and to receive proper compensation if it is truly necessary for the public good for it to be compulsorily purchased. We'll see! We are still waiting for the EU to take Spain to court for the abuse of procurement procedures - threatened 6 months ago. I am not being critical here of the Petitions Committee, whose MEPs are most sympathetic to our cause, but of the slow moving EU bureaucracy or whatever it is to blame for the delay.

Council meeting last Thursday
As usual, if you'd blinked you'd have missed it, it was over so quickly. The question of funding by grants and a loan to cover them for La Musical (estimated total cost: €663,000) came up, as well as a similar project for a Frontón to be built (estimated total cost: €200,000). In both cases, Pere Far made it quite clear that we in the CDP were not prepared to agree to these extra expenses, which could land the town hall in serious debt, when neither the accounts for 2006 nor a budget for 2007 have been seen, so that it is impossible to know what expenses the town hall is already committed to. All 3 of us abstained- we could not vote against these projects as they are, basically, for the benefit of the village and we had agreed earlier in this administration to grants being sought for them to be carried out.

Surprisingly, Mari Carmen agreed to answer the list of questions that had been submitted by the CDP back in January (this was the first council meeting in 4 months!). Needless to say, she had a glib answer for everything and insisted that everything she has done is within the law and that she respects the law (why, then, is she trying to get the conviction - to six years in prison, with another charge still pending - of the ex-mayor of Pego squashed?). We found out that her visit to Brussels, accompanied by the lawyer, Rosa, and the reporter who does Parcent's publicity for her, was paid for by us taxpayers. Rosa, by the way, is paid a salary by us too - to defend the town hall in the CDP's court case about the 30th January council meeting, among other work. Likewise, the Bulletín published in January also comes out of town funds, to the tune of €3,500.

Pere also asked where the Local Agenda 21 report is, ready at the end of January. The answer is that, when it arrived at the beginning of February, it was found to be the wrong one (for another town, according to Mari Carmen) and was returned a few days later to Consellería. But why hasn't the correct one been sent to us? At the time, we were repeatedly told that it had not arrived. It took two months for an answer to be given about when it had actually arrived in the town hall and what had happened to it, and that there were documents missing that should have come with it (the reason originally given us for sending it back, not that it was the wrong report). Mari Carmen insisted that she has no wish to hide the report nor its contents when it is received.

All council members agreed to leave the acceptance of the Accounts for 2004 and 2005 until a later meeting - there will be at least one more before the election. Maybe the 2006 accounts will also be ready by then.... But don't hold your breath.

Sewage report
I have now received a report by our police woman on the sewage waste dumped around Parcent, accompanied by a letter from Mari Carmen. Both say that the waste matter is suitably treated and harmless, and useful as a fertiliser and soil conditioner for use in agriculture. Further, that no laws are being infringed. It seems that the company in question who "controls" this dumping is Aguagest, so maybe some questions should be asked there as well. I can understand that this so called "mud" (the locals call it "basura") can be used as a fertiliser, but I cannot believe that dumping it in places where no one can collect it to use is, at the best, pointless. If you wish to improve your soil, you can help yourself from opposite the chicken house south of Parcent village - there is plenty there for everyone.

I am passing the letter and report on to Pere Far (I am away for a while now) to see if he wishes to go any further with it. I shall also notify Jack Troughton of Round Town News and Viva the Valley, as both papers have run reports on this delightful subject.

Please contact Jacqui from now to the beginning of May for any further info on the Veïns or CDP. Tel: 96 640 3868 or email jacquicotterill@hotmail.com.

With all best wishes, and I hope it stops raining soon for us all! I bet I go to the UK and it follows me.

Jenny