Benefits received by councillors in Torremolinos 'unjustified'

2016-01-21 05:00:00

Until the end of last year, Torremolinos councillors had been receiving benefits ranging from 190 euros for getting married to 3,000 euros in the form of interest-free loans. A report commissioned by the Costa del Sol Sí Puede party has revealed that this practice may be illegal.
For well over two decades, councillors in the town have received benefits for a range of expenses on top of their monthly salary. Representatives from all parties including the PP, PSOE and Ciudadanos (who have been present on the council since June) have received subsidies from the town council for dental treatment, contact lenses, retirement, childcare and their children’s education.
They received the money in addition to their wages, already among the most generous in the province. Torremolinos councillors earn between 46,500 and 62,000 euros gross a year.
Costa del Sol Sí Puede requested a report into the benefits in November, which revealed that these retributions may exceed the annual legal amount. The report limits councillors’ earnings to salaries, compensation and allowances. On the grounds of the findings, the council suspended all payments of benefits at the end of last year.
The councillors’ staff representative Carmen García refused to reveal how much had been paid over the last 25 years. She claimed that a legal report compiled by the council advised against this since some of the benefits “affect personal aspects of those who received them”.
Costa del Sol Sí Puede has demanded that councillors return all the money they received and it be used for social means. For their part, PP claimed that the benefits were not illegal and that all councillors, regardless of their political colour, had made use of them.
Ciudadanos announced this week that it would be calling on its repres-source surinenglish