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José Rodríguez Cámara
Alhaurín de la Torre
Friday, 2 August 2024, 17:14
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Alhaurin de la Torre's four municipal open-air swimming pools opened on 1 July with price increases, and these increases have sparked controversy. The entrance fee from Monday to Friday has gone from being "practically symbolic" to cost two euros for members of the facility and eight euros for those who are not: on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, the cost is four and 15 euros, respectively.
To obtain the membership card, a yearly fee of 20 euros is required, while the season ticket costs 40 euros for members and 70 for non-members.
The town hall justifies this decision by the need to comply with a Spanish Supreme Court ruling, following a complaint from a resident of a municipality near Bergara, Guipúzcoa, who complained that he had to pay a surcharge of 30 per cent for using the swimming pool, as he was not a registered resident. Faced with this lawsuit, the court ruled that this discrimination was illegal, and so Alhaurín de la Torre introduced the figure for members of the municipal sports facilities, with the idea of compensating residents. In addition, after 20 years of being frozen, the prices for the use of these services were updated.
The result? Complaints from users have skyrocketed, together with dissatisfaction about increased insecurity and incivility, largely due, say residents, to the fact that the lifeguard is responsible for charging entrance fees and for issues such as the fact that only card payments can be made. The municipal opposition also rejects the new developments en bloc. Vox, which considers the reasons for the price hikes to be far-fetched, laments the fact that the higher cost of the pools comes along with a general increase in municipal fees. Con Andalucía draws attention to the fact that the measure goes "directly against the poorest people, those who do not have a swimming pool". "A family of four people either spends 80 euros to get the card, and then get a discount, or pays 20 euros to go on Saturday or Sunday", summarises the councillor of this party, Javier Caravias.
As for the PSOE, it is going to the plenary session with a motion that urges the municipal government to re-establish prices and, if it is difficult to modify the new ordinance that regulates them, to apply discounts by other methods. They also call for greater vigilance in these areas.
Given this situation, the mayor, Javier Villanova, announced a series of changes, including the creation of an access pass as an alternative option to the sports department's membership card, starting next season; this will involve a modification of the town's by-laws. He also stated that a reduction in prices and the creation of a regulation of use and a security service will be studied.
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