C.L.A.R.O. SERVE LEGAL WARNING ON ORIHUELA

In November and December last year there were many reported cases of non-Spanish EU residents in Orihuela Costa, Entre Naranjos and Laguna Green being sent registered letters from Orihuela Town Hall threatening them with removal from the padron if they did not respond to this letter within 15 days by visiting the Town Hall and renewing their padron.

This letter caused wide distress. The padron confers important benefits, not least of which is access to free medical care for those retired and the right to vote. Removal from the padron, even if temporary, could have disastrous consequences in certain circumstances.

The bureaucracy involved in renewing the padron could be considerable. It was not clear to whom and why the letter had been sent. It was written in “officialese” Spanish. It was sent close to the Christmas holiday period when many were away and (by coincidence?) it was sent in the closing weeks of voter registration and caused considerable confusion and distraction to those intending to register to vote.

After being contacted by many concerned residents, and acting on instructions, C.L.A.R.O.'s lawyer wrote to Orihuela Town at the beginning of the New Year stating that it was totally unjustified to remove a resident from the padron simply because of failure to respond to a letter within 15 days.

There were many means which should be deployed to verify continued residence if this was in doubt and automatic removal from the padron as a result of non-response to an official letter could not be justified.

C.L.A.R.O's lawyer warned that we reserved the right to take whatever legal measures were appropriate to defend rights which could be infringed by the actions of the Town Hall.

This is not the first time that Orihuela Town Hall has tried to manipulate the requirements for registering on the padron.

C.L.A.R.O. has objected in the past to their efforts to restrict access to the padron by insisting on a habitation certificate (cedula de habitabilidad) and on residence the whole year instead of only most of the year.

In this latest case, the Town Hall say they base their actions on the letter of the law but the lack of transparency as to how many and to whom they have sent the letter, the timing and the way in which they arbitrarily threaten to remove from the padron those legally registered suggests that once again they are behaving with ulterior motives.

The Popular Party in Orihuela tends to become neurotic at the approach of municipal elections and the prospect that they may lose the monopoly of power they have held for over 20 years.

The latest threat to arbitrarily remove non-Spanish EU residents from the padron and the loss of benefits and the right to vote which could result, is very serious.

For this reason Orihuela Town hall has been served a legal warning.

C.L.A.R.O. would urge anyone legally resident in Orihuela Costa, Entre Naranjos or Laguna Greenn who may have been or may be removed from the padron as a result of receiving the Town Hall letter in question, to contact us and provide all the details so that we can consider with them what action can be taken to restore their rights.

C.L.A.R.O. e-mail address info@claro-orihuela.eu and telephone 661 333 593 or direct contact Fridays from 11.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Asturias Restaurant, Punta Prima