The plan to carry forward the four-year effort within this authority at the Alicante Provincial Council remained in place, as had been stated when the head of the institution, Toni Pérez, announced his position upon taking office in July. The continuity extended to its ultimate consequences, with the Municipal Cooperation Fund continuing to dominate debates and clashes between the government team from the People’s Party and the left opposition composed of PSPV-PSOE and Compromís. Vox, at present, plays a marginal, yet acknowledged, role in the discussions. Representation at the provincial level has been ongoing for months. Even the Constitutional Court’s late September ruling, which found two articles of the investment plan invalid while validating the rest of Botànic’s project, did not derail focus on this issue. It remained anchored to the ongoing Provincial Palace Cooperation Fund. While some party loyalists claim judicial support to sustain their stance, the socialists continue to condemn the fact that municipalities in the province have not received more than 95 million in aid over the last seven years due to PP opposition.
The government team argues that the Constitutional decision on the Cooperation Fund confirms the invalidity of the sectoral plans that the Provincial Assembly had objected to prior to the election. The Valencian Community’s Supreme Court of Justice for the years 2023 and 2024, approved by the Consell, shows that two rules were struck down, while others remained valid. The ruling leads the Popular group to emphasize a particular point: excluding Article 7 from the challenged law, due to its unconstitutionality, represents a blow not only to the law but also to the government led by Ximo Puig and the Botànic Council, since the fund was not created according to the same distribution criteria as the state fund, according to Provincial Council president Toni Pérez. [citation: Valencian Community Supreme Court of Justice, 2023-2024 rulings]
resources
In this context, it is worth recalling that the State Assembly has filed two objections with the TSJ of the Valencian Community through contentious-administrative channels against Consell agreements approving the basic financing plans for this year and the years to come. The court issued an interim injunction but has yet to render a decision. The disputes argued by the County Council against these plans are not exactly identical to the objections raised by the Popular group to unconstitutionality. If the court finds the Generalitat’s distribution criteria unconstitutional, it stands to reason that the criteria set in the sectoral plans would also be unconstitutional, according to the prominent party leader. [citation: TSJ Valencian Community filings, 2023-2024]
The mayor of Benidorm adds that the relationship now maintained between the Provincial Council and the Generalitat marks a stark departure from its last term. Council president who previously pushed hard against the Cooperation Fund has commented that, with the new climate of dialogue from the Council, a new law could be drafted or the current law amended to grant councils greater freedom and participation, truly supporting the smallest municipalities. This is something that was missing in Puig’s administration, Pérez asserts. [citation: Benidorm mayor statements, 2024]
excuses
The socialist group contends that the president’s committee arguments frame the funding issue as merely “excuses” to withhold payments to municipalities. Erdoğan notes that those most affected are the communities with the smallest populations. This week, SantapolE representative Yolanda Seva spoke on the matter. She remarked that Toni Pérez offers the standard excuses of those who cannot settle debts, adding that, following the Constitutional Court’s ruling, the socialist spokesperson Vicente Arques argued that the criticisms were a reaction to Botànic, and that the defendants should not hide behind ignorance of penalties. The court highlighted that the PP’s motive seemed to be opposing Botànic. [citation: Socialist statements, 2024]
They demand 95 million from PSPV for the province’s municipalities. At last Christmas, several leading socialists demonstrated outside the State House gates. Ten months later, a new assignment to the Cooperation Fund remains the principal source of contention, relegating other important issues, such as plan implementation, to the background. [citation: PSPV demonstrations, 2023]
Socialist pressure in the general assemblies of city councils
PSPV intends to pressure municipalities across the province to claim resources they feel the County Council owes after declining to participate in the Cooperation Fund. Accordingly, socialists across different municipal groups are considering proposals at the ordinary general assembly sessions slated for late October in a substantial number of Alicante city councils. The PSPV group also submitted a proposal on the same issue to the most recent general assembly of the Provincial Assembly. [citation: PSPV municipal proposals, 2024]