PSOE calls for Orihuela plan to deliver both shopping voucher campaigns before year-end

Orihuela PSOE councillor María García has called on the municipal government to explain which administrative steps remain outstanding and what measures it will take to deliver both shopping voucher campaigns before the end of 2026. She has criticised the management of commerce councillor Vicente Pina and warned that the planned funding may not reach local businesses in time.

García’s criticism focuses on a change in the procedure for managing the scheme. According to the councillor, the council has had to abandon the procedure involving FACPYME, the Alicante federation representing small and medium-sized retailers, and start another because the organisation could not provide the required bank guarantee.

Questions over the time taken to respond

The Socialist representative maintains that FACPYME had reported its inability to provide the guarantee more than a month earlier and that the council took that long to react. “These are not administrative difficulties: this is managing things late and badly,” García said, blaming planning and the local government’s ability to respond.

Her request for explanations covers both the remaining administrative steps and the measures needed to run the two campaigns within the year. She described the timetable for the provincial funding as “very tight”.

Municipal and provincial funding

In setting out her criticism, García distinguished between €400,000 in municipal funding and almost €900,000 from Alicante provincial council. In her assessment, the municipal allocation has not yet produced an effective campaign, and the planned combined funding, which she put at €1.3 million, risks failing to reach businesses in time.

The councillor also recalled that PSOE had proposed an alternative management arrangement in September 2025. According to García, the government rejected it because it was considered more expensive than the model it selected.

She contrasted that cost argument with the problems she is now highlighting: “Mr Pina wanted to save on the tool, but what use is saving if you then cannot get the campaign up and running?”