The local police were forced to eject rowdy members of the public on at least two occasions during the full Council Meeting at the Town Hall last night after tempers flared and accusations were exchanged between the political parties.
The meeting, described as “long and tense” by Radio Calasparra, reached boiling point during a debate on the Town Hall’s debt and the proposed cuts. By 11pm some 15 motions were passed, including two tabled during the meeting, as the two main parties, the majority PSOE and the opposition PP, struggled to reach agreement.
Personal accusations and recriminations for a municipal debt, (which, according to the United Left Coalition Party in its publication El Cortao Rojo, stands at 1,400,000 euros) were hurled across the chamber and as tempers rose the public gallery became so disruptive several members of the public had to be ejected by the local police on at least two occasions.
The austerity measures imposed by central Government are already the subject of industrial action amongst the local public sector workers in Calasparra. In addition, the regional Government, which also has a massive debt, has been under a credit squeeze imposed by central Government until it makes drastic spending cuts. These have a knock on effect on the spending power of Calasparra Town Hall, which also faces massive cuts in public spending to meet new targets set by the Government before credit facilities are unfrozen.
