Alicante, Under Debate

The Debate on the State of the City, a political event highlighted every autumn, arrives on October 10th at the Plenary Hall of Alicante City Council, laden with expectations.

Before the speeches begin, positions are clear. The Popular Party will defend its management and showcase the actions taken, while it is expected that Mayor Luis Barcala will seize his turn to make new announcements. The opposition will not miss the opportunity to convey their demands, call for changes, and pressure the mayor in the context of municipal budget negotiations.

During the nearly four-hour session, the issues that most concern Alicante residents will return to the fore: cleanliness, housing, and tourism, as well as the status of the city's major projects. Barcala could update the progress of the future Central Park and Intermodal Station planning, the advances of the General Structural Plan —which will replace the 1987 PGOU— or the launch of new urban sectors like Las Lomas de Garbinet.

The plenary will begin at 9:30 am. The session will be opened by the mayor, followed by interventions from municipal groups in two rounds of 15 and 10 minutes in order of least to most representation: EU-Podem, Compromís, Vox, PSOE, and PP. Barcala will close the debate with a final turn without time limitation.

The PP approaches the debate as an opportunity for all groups to present their proposals and exchange ideas. The spokesperson Mari Carmen de España will be responsible for defending the position of the popular group.

The spotlight will fall, as usual, on Luis Barcala, who will open and close the session. His intervention usually draws the most attention, both for the management balance —in this case, at the halfway point of the legislature— and for possible future announcements. In 2024, the mayor presented the baby cheque and rental aid for young people.

"We expect a constructive debate in which all members of the corporation contribute to continue improving the city, the quality of life of Alicante residents, and equal opportunities," said the government team spokesperson, Manuel Villar, ahead of the session.

The socialist spokesperson, Ana Barceló, will be responsible for confronting the government team. Her group will use the session to denounce the lack of dialogue from the PP beyond Vox and the absence of progress in the city compared to last year.

The PSOE will focus its intervention on issues such as sustainability, housing, social services, social justice, and cleanliness. Barceló will bring to the plenary the closure of the Plaza América social health centre, the lack of public housing, the problem of tourist apartments, and the increase in the waste tax.

The councillor will also highlight the group's work as an opposition "committed to the citizens and with neighbourhood entities," emphasising their role in overseeing Barcala's team.

VOX, which has been the necessary partner of the PP to approve budgets in recent years, arrives at the debate with a warning tone. The spokesperson Carmen Robledillo will recall the measures promoted thanks to their agreements with the local government, such as the declaration of Alicante as a Spanish-speaking area, the maternity office, or actions against squatting.

However, Robledillo will demand the execution of the 30 measures agreed upon in the last budget and warn that if they are not met, the PP will have to negotiate the 2025 accounts with the PSOE.

VOX's speech will revolve around urban cleanliness, security, support for families, and pending infrastructures, as well as unfulfilled promises to traders.

The Valencianist spokesperson Rafa Mas will use his intervention to "unmask the great scam of this government," referring to the PP, which he accuses of governing for private interests and tourist lobbies.

Mas will expose what he considers "poor management" and the lack of real negotiation by Barcala with the opposition, beyond Vox.

From Compromís, the goal will be to present a political offer for change and project "a vision for the future" for the city. "We will not waste time presenting agreements: the PP has always failed to honour the pacts reached," the spokesperson noted.

The spokesperson for Esquerra Unida Podem, Manolo Copé, will focus his speech on the possibility of a government change in 2027.

He will advocate for a "fair, green, and participatory" alternative against the "regression of the PP-Vox government," addressing issues such as social emergency, housing, cleanliness, or infrastructure blockage.

The group will propose a city model that "once again becomes a common home, with a government serving the people and the common good, not private interests."