By Dave Jamieson
NERJA town hall has made an urgent plea to residents in the municipality to take immediate action to ensure that it does not lose almost a quarter of a million euros in grants for local services. The cash is awarded by the central and regional governments to enable the town to provide doctors and health services, road maintenance, teachers, police, public gardens and a range of other infrastructure and facilities.
The amount of cash each town hall is awarded is based on the number of residents who have registered their presence on the padrón, which is roughly equivalent to the UK’s electoral roll. Fewer people registered means less money available to maintain the town.
Nerja’s problem is that around 1,600 foreigners, previously registered on the padrón, have failed to renew their inscription, as is required every two years. With around €150 awarded to the town for every individual registered, the town hall could therefore lose a total of around €240,000 in the next round of grants.
