The Mayor of Calasparra, Jesus Navarro, and his deputy, José Veléz, have defended their decision not to allow live transmission of the public question and answer session following the full Town Hall meeting last week because the public had “the right to be protected from the cameras” and the elected members from being “insulted and maligned” on television.
The deputy mayor claimed the opposition Partido Popular converted the public session into a “circus”. “We will not allow a serious public meeting to be turned into “a sideshow,” he said.
Appearing at a press conference this morning, Monday, they also defended the decision not to allow the Partido Popular to table an emergency motion calling for all the fines for illegal building and restauration works to be scrapped.
“This was not an emergency motion. It could have been tabled the day before to give members a chance to consider it,” said Veléz. “Curiously neither the Partido Popular not the United Left asked any question during the public session about these sanctions.”
Claiming that some 200 sanctions, not the 600 claimed by the PP, had been sent out, the Mayor said the plan was to legalise 90% of the illegal builds in Calasparra to coincide with the introduction of the Municipal Urban Plan.
Once again the administration invited residents to go the Town Hall and attempt to find a
solution for the sanctions.
“Those who have legalized their properties will have the sanctions withdrawn, others will have them reduced and all will be given time to pay. The Town Hall will not allow these sanctions to become a tragedy for families in Calasparra. However, those who have built illegal constructions and have not legalized them or have built in areas covered by protection orders will have to pay the fines”, he said.
The press conference was called after the Partido Popular threatened to officially report the Town Hall for switching off the cameras before the public question and answer session and for excluding their emergency motion.
