The Ministries of Economy and Housing, the Ombudsman, and a symbolic moon angel convey grievance files, information requests, or considered decisions. Regional ombudsman data show that the Ministry of Treasury and Justice ranks among the Consell departments most diligent in sharing information. The figures cover cases closed from January 1, 2022, to the present.
Among local governments, El Campello and Aspe stand out for opacity, followed by Orihuela, Torrevieja, Benidorm, and Santa Pola. These numbers underscore a persistent lack of transparency and fuel complaints from both council members and citizens because inquiries and documents are not readily accessible. The institution logged more than 200 protests from council members unable to access documents.
not the answer
The Ministry of Economy did not reply to any of the Ombudsman’s 26 closed complaints. In four cases, it failed to respond to information requests from the Ombudsman or to provide an opinion. Housing ranked second in uncooperative behavior across 31 of 47 complaints, constituting two-thirds of the total. The Treasury followed, with six in ten closed complaints showing no cooperation. Justice, after Treasury, accounted for 53 complaints with 19 files where no cooperation occurred, or 36%.
Beyond these four ministries, three others also generate the most complaints across the sectors they address: Equality, Education, and Health. Yet the scale of noncooperation varies. Equality, which has received the most citizen complaints to the Ombudsman, shows only a modest noncooperation rate of about 10%.
Síndic de Greuges calls the Consell’s attention: Alicante shows lower-than-legal taxi adaptation levels
Equality failed to cooperate in 90 of 800 closed complaints, about 11.25%. Education logged 197 closed files, with 19 noncooperative cases, roughly 9.64%. Health recorded 176 closed complaints with 24 noncooperative cases, about 13.64%. Regional Policy, Innovation and Transparency had no citizen complaints forwarded to the Ombudsman according to the institution’s statistics.
Within this frame, the clashes between the Ombudsman and Equality were highly publicized during the period when former Vice-President Mónica Oltra led the ministry. The relationship improved substantially after Mas took over, though the Ombudsman recently noted a new setback for Equality, accusing the ministry of obstructing an investigation and citing a day care facility as an example.
On the other end, the Agriculture Department, led by Isaura Navarro, has been the most transparent and cooperative since last year. Statistics show cooperation in 19 of 20 complaints, a 95% success rate. The file not yet answered appears to be in processing with a positive resolution expected soon, reinforcing the department’s commitment to transparency.
local assets
Beyond the Consell, El Campello and Aspe are notable for their local units. Ten complaint files from the town of l’Alacantí closed with no instances of noncooperation. Aspe shows eight closed files with the same pattern, while Orihuela cooperated in only one of fifteen closed files, indicating nonresponse in 93% of cases.
Torrevieja, another Vega Baja municipality, follows closely. The city’s administration answered nine of its 21 files, about 43%. Benidorm, a major tourist hub on the Costa Blanca, showed a 40% cooperation rate with four of ten files. Santa Pola completed the ranking by registering nonresponse in about a third of cases, with ten of 29 closed files not receiving a reply.
The overall lack of cooperation between ministries and municipalities, as reflected in the Ombudsman’s data, reinforces long-standing concerns about transparency. Luna stressed at a Municipal Forum organized by INFORMACIÓN that large municipal buildings cannot ignore basic democratic operating norms in Alicante today.
bone scan
The Ombudsman’s remarks draw a clear picture of current tensions within several assemblies where opposition lawmakers and citizens often receive silence when requesting information or lodging complaints. This lack of transparency not only harms citizens’ rights but also threatens the functioning and credibility of the democratic process. Luna warned that democracies suffer when governance becomes opaque.
Another recurring concern is that when parties are in opposition, some entities create barriers to document access and information. Once those groups return to government, critics argue, criteria shift again, and access is curtailed. Politicians across the spectrum have publicly urged greater transparency and access to necessary tools to prevent mistakes from recurring. In practice, some see this as rhetoric without substance.
Leaders in Alicante and Elche reflect this sentiment. The mayor of Alicante, Luis Barcala, acknowledges progress toward greater transparency, while Elche’s socialist leader Carlos González notes a notable improvement in recent years.
Elda and Alcoy stand out for strong transparency records. In Elda, the population center saw cooperation on all fifteen closed files. Alcoy, with a full tally of eleven closed files answered, demonstrates another robust example. These experiences pertain to municipalities with populations above 50,000. For smaller towns, Calp is cited as delivering complete responses.