Valentin may be one of the populations with less than 5,000 inhabitants to lose its right to manage its own basic services under central government legislation which will come into force on January 1, 2014.
The new law, (of Racionalización y Sostenibilidad de la Administración local) will mean that 92.1% of the nearly 7,000 municipal areas with less than 5,000 inhabitants will lose control of basic services such as rubbish disposal, cleaning services, domestic drinking water supplies, drains and access roads and pavements.
Central government justifies the changes by citing the “inefficieny” of the local administrations which, according to the Ministry of Housing, “pay three times more for basic services than municipal areas with 100,000 inhabitants.
The responsbility for local services and for raising taxes will be tranferred to the regional representatives.
These local administrations may be able to reassume responsibility for these services within five years by presenting a plan of viability which must include an increase in income and a cut in costs.
