Yesterday evening Benidorm Mayor, Agustin Navarro had a meet and greet session with local British residents at Rocky´s Pub on the Calle Gerona. Juan and his British wife Lesley – owners of the bar, organized the event which they felt was important with the forthcoming local elections coming up in 2 weeks time. Firstly the Mayor apologized for not speaking any English and promised to do better for next time – mind you, many of us Brits are just as guilty for not learning Spanish, so it works both ways!
The Mayor spoke about the importance of the British people to the resort – not only the millions which visit every year, but also those that actually live here. There are 5,900 officially recorded on the pardon but everyone knows that there are many more who have not registered. Some of those live here only part time and also a high percentage of those living on the many camp sites do not register for some reason. This all means that they are using the local services but the Council are not receiving the correct amount of funding from Central Government, something not only an issue in Benidorm but in all towns.
The Mayor announced that for this term – assuming that he gets voted back in, there will be a dedicated representative for British people at the Town Hall – and Lesley Pintor looks likely to be that lady. She has lived here in Benidorm for 29 years, married to a Spaniard and understands the problems and issues faced by the British community – especially running a business here too. Bill Steel – President of HELP International attended the talk and was delighted to hear about the Mayors proposal to have a British representative. The Mayor thanked Bill, acknowledging the hard work which his association does in the community, not only for the Brits but also other nationalities and the Council will continue to support them.
The most contentious issue here – pea or potato men, was also raised by a member of the audience and the Mayor is in total agreement that something needs to be done. However, at the moment it is out of his hands as a change in the law is required. As quickly as the perpetrators are caught and taken in for cautioning they are out again on the streets. It is frustrating for the police and obviously using up their resources, which are limited. All they can do is try and educate and warn people but generally Benidorm is a very safe place with a low crime rate considering the number that come here. As with tourist resorts the world over, where there is a high concentration of holidaymakers, you will always have opportunists and pickpockets.
The Mayor thanked everyone for coming and encouraged them to form a British residents association, which the Town Hall will fully support – apparently the Belgians, Colombians and Romanians already have one even though there are more Brits – which includes English, Irish, Welsh and Scottish who should all unite under the umbrella of a British Residents Association. Agustin is aware of the importance of listening to all nationalities which make up Benidorm and is endeavoring to meet all groups in the run up to the 24th May. With a dedicated British representative at the Town Hall it will certainly encourage more British people to get involved in the community and definitely a positive step forward.