OF STREET LAMPS AND PLAY AREAS

Costa Esuri, Ayamonte May 13, 2022

Dear neighbours:

Today I want to start with good news, I have seen that this morning  May 12, that workers were replacing three streetlights  in c/ Blasco Ibáñez, one had already been replaced at the beginning of April, although the luminaire was missing. The only thing left to do is to fix the sidewalk around the streetlight to finish. It has taken more than a month since they started, but it is something to be happy about. Streetlights that had been broken for years without being fixed.

There are still at least 5 streetlights to be repaired, two on C/Miguel de Unamuno, two on C/ José de Espronceda and one on C/Rosalía de Castro. I hope that the City Council will continue with the repair of the street lighting.

As I often walk or cycle through the urbanisation, I was surprised to see some workers from the company Equypark, from Huelva, a company that installs playgrounds They were removing the elements of the playground located at the junction of Miguel de Unamuno and Blasco Ibáñez, next to the plot of the sports court.

I am glad that these playgrounds are being improved, but the procedure followed does not seem to me to be correct and appropriate. The replacement of these playgrounds with new ones is not the responsibility of the EUC, it is a municipal responsibility and the municipality should bear the costs involved in the replacement and adaptation to new safety standards.

The playgrounds that I know in the town of Ayamonte are more or less adapted to the safety standards that they must meet, with rubber floors that are safer and more hygienic than sand or gravel.

In 2021 the City Council of Ayamonte fixed the playgrounds of Barriada Canela and Punta de Moral with a budget of €48,614, obtained from a grant.

From the information I have, in the Budget for the year 2022 proposed by the Governing Council (the EUC) in the General Assembly held on March 30, there is an item of  €60,000.00 for repair and replacement of street furniture, which includes the arrangement of four playgrounds, one new and three repaired and refurbished with accessories.

The Minutes of the General Assembly of March 30 have not been published or notified yet, (why so much delay) so to date the members of the EUC do not know the results of the voting, nor which items on the agenda were approved or rejected, including the budget. 

In the Minutes of the meetings of the Governing Council held on February 2 and March 9 nothing was approved in relation to the playgrounds, and if I remember correctly, when the budget was presented at the General Assembly after some questions from the audience the President commented that budgets would be requested first and that the members of the EUC would be informed.

Has anyone heard anything about this issue, has the work to be done been advertised for various companies to submit bids?  What offer and budget has been approved or chosen? With what criteria and has it been ratified with a contract?

How much does it cost, is the action of the Governing Council or whoever has given the order for the execution and start of these works transparent and are they so urgent? 

I am not satisfied with the performance of the Governing Council, which repeats the mistakes made when  hiring “Ayamonte Existe” to manage its Facebook page.

I repeat that I do not agree for the following reasons:

• Replacing the playgrounds and maintaining safety standards is the obligation of the City Council of Ayamonte in my modest opinion. All playgrounds in Ayamonte have a plaque placed by the Town Hall with instructions and warnings, one of which says, “for maintenance notify the local police” (see the image below). The statutes of the EUC do not include the replacement of street furniture or playgrounds. 
• Because of the way it was processed and the urgency of carrying it out, without due public information.
• Without knowing what the work to be done actually entails and what  its cost will be. Even before knowing if the Budget for the year 2022 has been approved.
• The Governing Council acts as if these issues are already decided,  without informing its members of any of the details mentioned above. Is this the way to comply with the Statutes of the EUC. Was any project or budget for action on the playgrounds approved at the General Assembly?  
• It is the specific competence and function of the Governing Council: “To inform all the members of the Entity of the management of the Governing Council, of the activities of the Entity and of any facts, situations and aspects of general interest to the Entity“. Is this how the Board fulfils its duties?

Information is a fundamental right of the citizen, it is an essential right to promote the transparency of public entities and to encourage the participation of citizens in decision making.

The EUC Entity is financed with the exclusive contributions of its members and it is the members of the EUC who, in the General Assembly, must debate, deliberate and make the decisions that the Governing Council must subsequently execute.

Transparency is a defence against maladministration, as it enables citizens to better understand and monitor the exercise of the powers of the governing bodies and the use of public resources, in short, it is an effective tool for preventing and combating fraud and corruption.

Public Administrations of which  EUC is one, must serve the interests of its members and act in accordance with the principles of efficiency, hierarchy, decentralisation and coordination. With full submission to its satutes, and the Law. Are these principles fulfilled by the EUC and the City Council of Ayamonte? Sincerely, I think not.

I thank you for your understanding and patience.

Sincerely, Francisco Tapia