COSTA BLANCA NEWS: Employment and social services Benitatxell budget focus

EL POBLE Nou de Benitatxell council has approved a municipal budget for next year which the local authority says focuses on employment and social services.
The more than €5.8 million spending plans got the green light at an extraordinary plenary meeting with the six votes in favour of the governing team (Mes Benitatxell and IMA), while the RED CV voted against.
The budget allocates just over €2,672,000 to personnel. Mayor Miguel Angel Garcia particularly underlined job creation under the Temporary Activity Development Plan.
He referred to the positive statistics for 2019, with 39 people employed on temporary contracts, 13 of them through subsidies.
The council also highlighted its backing for social services and the substantial allocation to the Servicio de Ayuda a Domicilio (Home Help Service) in order to “put an end to the waiting list.”
The council described the service as one of the most important in the locality given the high percentage of the population aged 65 and over.
“When an elderly or dependent person asks for help they cannot be put on a waiting list. Assistance has to be immediate”, commented Social Services councillor and Mayor Isa Garrido.
The council was additionally keen to point out that for the first time there are budget sections for the areas of Equality (€18,000) and Youth Policy (€7,000).
Other noteworthy investment allocations include upgrades to public parks and the cemetery, improvements to water and air quality in the municipal swimming pool and the installation of video cameras for greater security in residential complexes.
“We want to be on the side of residents and of people, who are the driving force of this village.
With the development of employment and this injection of oxygen into social services, we are sure of achieving this” the Mayor affirmed.
Garcia maintained there had been a lot of “hard work” since his re-election six months ago to get the budget approved before the end of December, describing it as “important landmark” for the municipality. He pointed out it had been more than a decade that this had been achieved before the start of the New Year.