'Brexpats' talk
Consul talks to residents in Benidorm, Jávea, Moraira and Alfaz del Pi
BRITISH Consul Sarah-Jane Morris, together with Vice Consul Sara Munsterhjelm, consular staff and ‘Brexpats in Spain’ regional representative Richard Hill, embarked on the second round of ‘Brexit update’ for expat British residents north of Alicante.
The exercise was to inform British nationals who are resident in Spain of the facts and progress of negotiations, all of which can be accessed via the Gov.uk website.
Our photo shows the consul with Jávea mayor José Chulvi at the local event on Wednesday.
BREXIT – a topic of heated debate, and more often than not, much scaremongering and false misleading information.
British Consul Sarah-Jane Morris, together with Vice Consul Sara Munsterhjelm, consular staff and ‘Brexpats in Spain’ regional representative Richard Hill, embarked on the second round of ‘Brexit update’ for expat British residents north of Alicante.
The exercise was to inform British nationals who are resident in Spain of the facts and progress of negotiations, all of which can be accessed via the Gov.uk website.
Last week the team covered the south district, encompassing Torrevieja and Rojales.
On Tuesday of this week, the first stop for the team was Benidorm, with a somewhat disappointing turnout.
Mayor Toni Perez also attended and made an address, albeit in Spanish, to the assembled audience of around 60, which the consul translated for those not proficient in Spanish.
He made the point of highlighting that Benidorm is one of the biggest tourist destinations for the British and he is aware that many also live in the town – yet the figures for British nationals do not correspond to the official register.
Sarah-Jane then continued, explaining the current situation regarding the Brexit negotiation process and saying that a ‘Withdrawal Agreement’ has been agreed. Those living here - and legally living and registered here at the point of the Britain leaving the EU in March 2019 - will continue to enjoy the benefits that they currently receive.
Healthcare access, which ranks amongst the two primary concerns for British residents here, will continue and be unaffected, as will pension entitlements, and there is no change to the Triple Lock agreement.
One important issue which has not yet been agreed is voting rights in local elections, which still needs to be discussed and agreed bilaterally between the UK and Spain.
There is currently a private members bill for voters' rights to reintroduce votes for life, which is being discussed in Parliament today (Friday 23).
The key message which the British Consul wants to convey to all British nationals living in Spain is to make yourself legal here before March 2019 – but don’t leave it till the last minute Register on the padrón in the town where you live, and for those that have already registered at some point in the past, go and reconfirm.
"It has become apparent to me that the regulations vary from town to town – in some you need to re-register every two years, in others every five years, and in one, once you are on you stay on. For those that are resident here, take up official residency.
"Do it now and then you can be assured of your rights and access to entitlements for when Britain officially leaves the EU." Full house in Jávea The British Consulate’s ‘Brexit roadshow’ attracted a sell-out crowd to Jávea, with more than 250 people crammed into the Casa de Cultura’s auditorium to be updated on how their lives will change in March 2019.
Consul Sarah-Jane Morris said she did not want to raise expectations and she did not have 'all the answers'; the latest information is coming from the ‘withdrawal agreement’ settlement reached last December between the UK and EU negotiating teams on citizens’ rights.
The underlying message was for expats to register as being resident in Spain and to ensure they are also on the town hall’s ‘padrón’, the official municipal register. The consul said: “We all have the same goal, to make sure that if you are resident you are legal and above board.”
Sarah-Jane said a future vote in Spain’s local elections would be part of bilateral talks between the UK and Madrid, but she said the government was committed to granting all expats a vote for life in British elections.
Voting and representation was clearly a subject that 'frus- trated' expats – a series of questions underlined the anger for many ' unable' to vote in the Brexit referendum and not having a formal body within Parliament to express their views.
The consul said: “I understand people feel strongly, and understandably so. I understand how frustrating it is that you were unable to vote in a referendum that had an impact on your life.”
Richard Hill, of the 'Brexpats in Spain’ campaign group, said: “There are MPs and MEPs that we liaise with, but there is no recognised Parliamentary organisation; it has been asked for and refused.”
He said the group was fully legal and accredited in Spain with over 4,500 members and working with other expat groups across Europe.
“We are not campaigning against Brexit itself; we feel with over 50% of the country voting for it, it is not our place to campaign against it, and since we need support from people in the UK it would be counterproductive for us to do so,” he said.
“Instead, we campaign for the rights of expats. We should have our rights and our lives protected. We campaigned for the ‘withdrawal agreement’ to be ring-fenced – at the moment it isn’t, it is an accord. As Theresa May is fond of saying, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.
“Sensible minds are beginning to prevail and it would be our hope that at the end of the day an agreement is reached – the problem is, it is probably going to be a last-minute agreement, such is the nature of politics and negotiations.”
Richard said the fight to win citizens’ rights was 'a numbers game'. He added: “The more of you that join us, the greater the voice we have. The greater voice we have, the better protection you are going to have.”
The consulate team will be out on the road again in autumn to provide another update and address people’s concerns. The consul admitted: “I appreciate that for some people it is a very unsettling time.”
'Sensible minds are beginning to prevail' in the negotiations', .“believes the British Consul