Brits keep first class ticket
'Regardless of Brexit deal outcome'
BRITISH expats living in a Costa Blanca town will remain valued members of the community after Brexit – deal or nor deal.
The pledge was made by Benitachell Mayor Miguel Ángel García who said the town hall welcomed the bilateral agreement between Spain and the UK to allow British citizens the right to take part in the coming local elections.
In an interview with CBNews, the mayor said, “With or without Brexit, this government team is certain that Benitachell has no second class residents; British voting is great news.
“They are a very committed, active, and a group who have contributed widely to the cultural wealth of this town.”
He added, “It would not be right to take any decision other than to have an agreement to guarantee people, not only a vote, but also public healthcare and residency – that’s a big worry, especially for older people.”
In Benitachell, British people are the largest group of foreign residents and the mayor wanted to reassure them they would remain part of the community.
Mr García, who took over the mayor’s office following a vote of no confidence last year, said: “We want to give the message that although Brexit has caused worries, British people will always be citizens of Benitachell.
Support
“Personally, I have always supported British residents and British associations, the last government did not wish to speak with them or discuss problems, but it is very important for the people that live here – it’s not the old days, it is the 21st century.”
And he said he and his team were very keen to involve the community in the running of the town and they had already held a series of meetings with residents and associations making up the different urbanisations and zones of the municipality.
“We held meetings with all of them together, and we are trying to work closer with everyone,” said the mayor.
“For example, many associations from the urbanisations and residents’ associations and neighbourhood watch are included in the budget of the town hall – allowing them to receive support – now we are trying to offer help to more associations of the town.”
He said he wanted to work with residents, the local police and, if needed, the provincial government to help solve long standing problems for instance on Cumbre del Sol, Benitachell’s largest urbanisation, where there was a traffic problem caused by the school run to the Lady Elizabeth School.
“This started when the junior school was built and now there is the secondary school as well. It is very important to find a solution to things like these, both in the short term and long term.”