Authorities in Alicante are pressing to fill vacant secretary-interventor positions to speed up grants allocated to municipalities in the province and to improve support for councils, especially the smaller ones. The provincial institution currently lists eleven interventores on its staffing roster, with four posts unfilled due to two resignations, one transfer, and another on medical leave. Facing this staffing gap, the governing team, led by the People’s Party figure Toni Pérez, is actively seeking a quick resolution and has even made it a topic at the latest ordinary plenary. This situation prompted the call for three new interventor posts and the creation of a job pool to bolster municipal assistance.
The recruitment process, for three interventor posts by open competition, has been published in the Provincial Official Gazette. The deadline to submit applications, after bases were announced, is seven business days. Interested applicants have about two weeks to apply, preferably through the electronic portal, but applications can also be submitted in Tucumán offices by appointment. The governing team remains committed to promptly resolving the staffing shortfall, according to Marina Sáez, the second vice-president responsible for the area, who spoke about the issue during the plenary held at the Provincial Palace following a motion from the socialist group.
The fact that four of the eleven senior official posts are currently vacant is described by Sáez as an “unexpected exceptional situation.” One core challenge is that these professionals provide secretariat-intervention duties for towns with populations under 500 and budgets below 200,000 euros, meaning the smallest municipalities are most affected. The vice-president notes that Alicante’s towns are showing higher demand for the service due to increased provincial subsidies. At the plenary on February 21, subsidies were raised to 2.3 million euros, intended to stimulate employment and economic development.
Regarding the announced vacancies, they are classified under the Local Administration officials with national habilitation, grade A1, and on a temporary basis. Applicants must meet the requirements set out in the bases. Sáez defends that the municipalities are not left unprotected and that urgent requests continue to be addressed, even as the Generalitat Valenciana’s reserve pool remains available as an alternative.
The PSPV-PSOE has criticized the province for the lack of interventores, noting that several Alicante municipalities have gone up to six months without this essential service. Spokesperson Vicente Arques has held meetings with councilors and municipal spokespeople to discuss the situation, criticizing the ruling PP team for not meeting the needs of the province’s smallest towns. In response, the socialist group tabled a motion in the Wednesday plenary, which led the governing team to acknowledge the problem and declare that work is underway toward a solution.
Additionally, the province plans to invest more than 1.3 million euros in smaller entities through the Planifica program for 2024–2027. Projects in La Xara, Jesús Pobre, and Llosa de Camacho include road improvements, land preparations, and park renovations as part of the planned works.