Funding is approved

MOTRIL is celebrating this week as the council has announced an application for €10 million in funding from the European Desi Funds has been approved.

Local Mayor Flor Almon and Deputy Mayor Antonio Escamez gave the news, which they classed as a historical achievement which will help make Motril a better place.

Obtaining the funds, Almon explained, was no mean feat as 269 Spanish towns and cities applied for a slice of the cake, yet just 83 proposals were approved with important cities including Marbella, Velez-Malaga and Cadiz left out. Motril has also been allowed more than most, as the average amount awarded was €8.45 million.

The money, plus another €2.5 million provided by the local council, will be used on projects of a mainly social nature and to make the town more environmentally friendly.

The council, the mayor said, began working on its application immediately after the last local elections and has worked extremely hard to perfect its proposals. Now, it intends to use the funds to create a town which has more respect for the environment, recover its historical heritage, boost energy efficiency and run social policies to increase employment and equality.

However, it’s not just a case of grabbing the money and running, Escamez explained.

The council will now have to officially approve and draw up a letter of acceptance to be sent off to Europe and prepare a manual of procedures to select and manage projects. This should allow for work to begin and projects be up and running between 2017 and 2018, the deputy mayor said.