NEWS aND INFoRMaTIoN FoR FoREIGN RESIDENTS
FuEngiROla MOnTHlY Information provided by
nOvEMbER/DECEMbER 2013
iSSuE nº 5
Ayuntamiento de
Fuengirola
952 58 93 00 // 952 58 94 40
FoREIGNRESIDENTS@FUENGIRoLa.oRG
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Getting ready for the Christmas season.
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New kiosk at the local dog park.
www.FuEngiROla.ORg FUENGIRoLaRESIDENTSRESIDENTESFUENGIRoLa
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Learn all about the Catholic Monarchs.
Padron confirmation can now be done by phone THE Councillor for Foreign Residents, Katja Westerdahl, reminded people of the importance of confirming on the Padron that they continue to reside in the town. To make this easier, it can now also be done by phone. The Central Government allocates money to towns according to how many people are on the padron. Therefore, if you aren’t on it, your town hall will lose money for the provision of basic services. EU citizens registered on the Padron must confirm their registration every two years. This means that they confirm that they are still living at the address where they initially registered. It is important to do so, otherwise they will be taken off the padron and lose the right to benefits such as discount on taxes, accessing a doctor, registering children in schools, discount on activities and a long list of other benefits, including voting in local elections.
Councillor Westerdahl said the council will help residents to confirm their registration. The National Institute of Statistics asks towns for their register of inhabitants, and foreigners who have not confirmed that they remain in the town will be taken off it to avoid people being registered who do not live in the town. Fuengirola Town Hall and the Foreign Residents Department have made confirmation easier,
as it is obligatory. It can now be done via e-mail, fax, post or phone. The phone number is 952 589 440, or for those who speak Spanish: 952 589 384 or 952 589 385. Send personal data to foreignresidents@fuengirola.org by fax to 952 589 440, or post to Concejalia de Extranjeros
Residentes; Paseo Jesus Santo Rein, 6 (edificio Oficina de Turismo); 29640 Fuengirola (Malaga). Westerdahl said “the town hall is at the disposal of local residents for any questions they may have. We will be delighted to help them at the Council for Foreign Residents, from Monday to Friday, 9am to 2pm.”
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November/December 2013
Christmas Market for all businesses in the town THE seventh Christmas Market will be held from December 3 to 16 in the Plaza de la Constitucion in Fuengirola. There will be a tent in the centre of the square where each of the participating businesses will sell their products and promote their Christmas offers. The aim is to boost commerce for local businesses. The Councillor for Commerce, Carmen Diaz, said “this is a way for the local government to support small and medium businesses. This municipal initiative will once again give the sector a boost at Christmas.” This year, the number of days has been increased, and participants can take part over the whole period, or in one of the two stages, from December 3-9, or from December 1016. Local businesses interested in taking part must go to the ‘Registro de Entrada’ at the Town Hall, where they can fill in a form. Then they should go to the ‘Public Streets’ (Via Publica) Department, to request the payment form, and finally, go to the treasury (Tesoreria) to pay the amount.
The market will be held in the Plaza de la Constitucion once again. Places are limited and will be granted on a first come, first served basis. The cost is €80.91 for each stage, or €161.82 for both. Diaz encouraged all businesses based in
Fuengirola to take part and boost their sales. The market has been very popular in past years which is why the town hall has decided to go ahead with it once again.
Getting ready for the holiday season CHRISTMaS lights will once again decorate the streets of Fuengirola during the holiday season. The councillor for Festivities and Traditions, Isabel Moreno, announced that the town hall is installing 1,432,234 bulbs that will light up the streets this year. These are low-energy bulbs and light-emitting diode (LED), which consume 16.25 per cent less energy than those used last year and will save the town hall more than €50,000. “We know we are in the midst of an economic crisis, so we’re putting an extra effort to bring the
best street lights possible at the lowest price,” said Moreno. Fuengirola is a pioneer in the use of energy saving street lights for Christmas, and has been using LED lighting since 2007, six years before the Junta de andalucia first recommended it. Christmas lights will be on from 6pm to 12am on working days, and from 6pm to 2am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. They will be lit on Friday, November 29, at 7pm. The streets of the town will also be decorated with 10 signs wishing merry Christmas, 112 Christmas decorative motifs, 12
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: The town hall will save €50,000. almond trees, eight statues and two nativity scenes made with wicker.
In addition, two Christmas trees will be installed in Plaza de España and Plaza San Rafael.
November/December 2013
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New taxi rates and meters set for next year FUENGIRoLa Council has given the goahead for the new taxi prices for 2014 and the use of meters in all vehicles. Changes do not mean that prices have gone up for passengers, but that rates have been simplified and standardised, and will be shown on meters for better clarity. The Mayor, Esperanza oña, publicly thanked the local taxi drivers for their collaboration over the years. She said “we have never had any problems with them and
I have always felt that the Fuengirola’s taxi drivers have collaborated with the town councils. This agreement would not have been possible without their support.” The only price that has gone up is the minimum price for a journey, but the rise is still lower than the Consumer Price Index of the past years, showing that the sector takes into account that people need to use the service but that we are in the midst of a financial crisis.
The supplement for the week in which Fuengirola fair is held has been done away with, and a unique supplement of €1.20 will apply to passengers with more than two pieces of luggage or who need to be picked up from a specific point. The taxi service will have the same prices as Fuengirola, Mijas, Benalmadena and Torremolinos, for greater peace of mind. The Costa del Sol Hoteliers association is pleased with this measure.
DOGGY KIOSK: Mayor Esperanza Oña opened the kiosk at the dog park.
New kiosk at the dog park The kiosk will sell food, drinks, and products for dogs and has a terrace and toilets. THE Mayor, Esperanza Oña, inaugurated the guau guau bar kiosk in los Pacos dog park. The kiosk is made of two wooden modules with a total surface of 80m2. She was accompanied by the local councillor for green areas and Parks, Dolores buzon, as well as numerous local residents. The aim of opening the kiosk is to make the area more attractive and offer local families the chance to run their own business. The dog park has become
popular with residents of Fuengirola and other towns. Several nearby towns have copied the park or have plans to create something similar. The kiosk makes the park more exclusive, also thanks to the Dog Training School which is held in the afternoons. One of the two wooden modules has a café and the other has a storeroom and toilets, and there is also a terrace. Food, drink and items for dogs will be sold on the premises.
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November/December 2013
Learn all about Fernando and Isabel, the Catholic Monarchs aN informative cycle about the Catholic Monarchs is being held in Fuengirola until January 17. The cycle includes conferences and an exhibition with authentic documents signed by King Fernando or Queen Isabel. There are also replicas of her crown and sceptre, and one of his swords, as well as maps of the town in medieval times and modern day, which will be projected on the façade of the town hall from January 2-4. The activities accompany the threemetre-tall bronze statue of the Catholic Monarchs which will be inaugurated in the old town hall square, which will be known as Plaza de los Reyes Catolicos. This, in turn, commemorates the date when the Sohail Castle in Fuengirola was taken back from the arabs in 1485 and the area became part of the Kingdom of Spain. Conferences will be held on December 2 and 16 at the Salon Real of Fuengirola Town Hall at 8pm. at the exhibition, there are also images of historical sites which were important in
Mayor OĂąa attended the inaugural conference in November. the life of the Catholic Monarchs, and a hall dedicated to how the statue was made. Visitors will be given a small token to commemorate their visit. There will be a special day for children
The cycle will continue until January 17, 2014.
on January 3 in the town centre. avenida Condes de San Isidro will be closed to traffic. on January 17, there will be a concert of medieval music at 8.30pm at the Iglesia del Rosario.
Many local residents have attended the conferences.
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