NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR FOREIGN RESIDENTS

FUENGIROLA MONTHLY

NEWS PAGE 2 NEWS PAGE 3 NEWS PAGE 5

Property tax benefits for residents

ISSUE Nº 2AUGUST 2013

Ayuntamiento deFuengirola WWW.FUENGIROLA.ORG952 58 93 00 // 952 58 94 40

FOREIGNRESIDENTS@FUENGIROLA.ORG FUENGIROLARESIDENTSRESIDENTESFUENGIROLA

Fuengirola tourism on the rise New reptile enclosure for Bioparc

Information provided by

COUNCILLOR for ForeignResidents Katja Westerdahl hasannounced that her departmenthas moved to the FuengirolaTourist Office.

She held a press conferencewith Tourism Councillor IgnacioSouviron to say that the aim is tooffer a better service to bothforeign residents and tourists.

The Foreign Residents’Department was on the fourthfloor of the town hall building butis now located in Paseo JesusSantos Rein, 6, in the buildingwhich many years ago wasFuengirola train station, justopposite the MercacentroShopping Centre and market.

Administrative matters forforeign residents will be dealtwith from 9am to 2pm.

Souviron said the move is a“rational, logical and positivemeasure which will improve theservice, because the ForeignResidents’ Department staff willreinforce the Tourism Depart-ment and vice versa, withoutincreasing costs.”

Westerdahl pointed out that inJuly, the number of enquiriesreceived by the ForeignResidents’ Department contin-ued to increase, with 610,compared to the 470 in July2012. British residents continue

to ask the most questions, with416, followed by the Danish (37)and Finnish (34).

She also said this new monthlybulletin, published in collabo-ration with Euro Weekly Newsand sent by email to residents

who request it, has been a greatsuccess. She encouraged locals torequest the bulletin because it hasuseful information aboutimportant local matters translatedinto English so that foreignresidents are better informed.

Foreign Residents’ Departmentrelocates to Tourist Office

NEW HOME: The former Fuengirola train station in Paseo Jesus Santos Rein.

August 20132 FUENGIROLA MONTHLY

Coursesandworkshops2013/14THE Casa de la Cultura isoffering the followingcourses for the 2013/2014term:

Ballet, regional dan-cing, ballroom dancing,university access course,painting for adults, pain-ting for children, tapestry,engraving, pottery, potteryfor children, pottery wheeluse, binding, Tiffany glasswork, photography,English, German, Spanishfor Foreigners, Yoga, etc.

How, where and whento register?

For courses at the Casade la Cultura, visit theground floor of thebuilding in Avenida JuanGomez Juanito, 12, fromSeptember 2 fromMonday to Friday, 9am to2pm, and ask for a priorappointment ticket.

On the day of yourappointment, you orsomeone acting on yourbehalf, can visit theSecretary’s Office at theCasa de la Cultura with thecourse fee and youroriginal ID. You can onlyregister if there are placesavailable and if you havean appointment.

For university access,training cycle and univer-sity access exam courses,tickets are not required.

More information aboutcourses, timetables andprices at the end of Augustat the Casa de la Cultura,962 589 349 or emailcultura@ fuengirola.org.

*For courses at LosBoliches Town Hall officesand the Siglo XXIbuilding, request thetickets there.

CARMEN MALO, the localcouncillor for taxes, remindedresidents who are on the local‘padron’ (census) that they stillhave time to benefit from help topay their Property Tax (IBI).

This is thanks to a newlyapproved set of grants worth 30per cent of the tax amount, andwhich replace the former taxsubventions, which were annulledby the Supreme Court following acase put forward by the Socialistparty in 2004.

She explained that the newgrants establish a first paymentperiod for 70 per cent of the totalIBI, and residents who are on the‘padron’ will receive a receipt forthe remaining 30 per cent.

Residents who are on the‘padron’ and fulfil a set ofrequirements to receive the grantswill not have to pay the secondamount.

The councillor said that forresidents who are on the ‘padron’,the period for the first IBI paymentis until September 20.

Regarding the new environ-mental refuse management tax(GEMER), the period variesdepending on the date when eachresident was notified of it.

“It is important for residents tobe informed, carry out paymentsduring the voluntary period andnot have debts with the town hallin order to benefit from the help,”

the councillor said.

Requirements to be eligible forthe help are “to be a registered onthe local ‘padron’ on December 31of the year immediately before thehelp is granted, be a passivesubject of the taxes from whichone is to benefit, and have all taxpayments up to date. Thecouncillor insisted that residentsshould visit the town hall to findout their tax situation and resolveany questions which may arise.

The town hall has informed alllocal residents of the proceduresthey must follow to benefit fromthe new set of grants for residents,who are on the ‘padron’ as well ashaving held several meetings withlocals to explain the procedure.

The councillor also pointed outthat due to a computer error,receipts for payments paid inthe bank by direct debit havenot included informationabout the new grants and thedivision of the tax into twopayments, so she explainedthat the quantity that has beenpaid is 70 per cent of the total.

“We want to remindresidents who have their taxespaid by direct debit that thefirst amount which was paid atthe beginning of July is for70 per cent of the IBI andGEMER taxes, so if they fulfilthe requirements, they will nothave to pay the remaining 30per cent. We are sorry thereceipt didn’t include thisinformation due to a computererror,” Malo said.

She announced that thetown hall will send a letter totaxpayers who pay their IBIby direct debit to inform themof this, so they have all theinformation they need tobenefit from the grants.

Property tax discountfor ‘empadronados’This year there has been a change for residents on the ‘padron’

THE mayor, Esperanza Oña,has visited the summer schools which are being held at El Tejarand Maria Auxiliadora schools.

They are being attended by 220 local children between three and12 years old throughout July and August. Among the manyactivities they took part in was learning about how to respect andcare for animals, which was organised by the local animal shelter.

Mayor Oña and the children.

Bringing childrencloser to animals

August 2013 3FUENGIROLA MONTHLY

FUENGIROLA Town Hall has approvedgrants to help the elderly residents ofFuengirola to pay their taxes.

Pensioners can receive up to 15 per centoff their property tax (IBI) and 100 per centoff the Environmental Refuse Handling(GEMER) tax, up to a maximum of €2,900,as long as they fulfil the criteria. This is as

well as the 30 per cent off taxes available toall registered residents who meet therequirements.

Taxes Councillor Carmen Malo explainedthat the aim of the grants is to improve theliving conditions of people on limitedincomes, especially senior citizens withpensions lower than the minimum wage.

The requirements for pensioners areamongst others, to have less than theminimum wage coming into their householdper year, be registered residents ofFuengirola on December 31 prior to the yearfor which they request the grant, and thatthey fill in the request form within thespecified period.

Pensioners can apply to pay less taxes

Making lifeeasier forforeignersTO avoid having to goto Fuengirola NationalPolice station to get anappointment to requestany procedures regardingforeign matters, fromAugust 19, there is now aphone number forappointments.

It can be used for allforeign residents’ mattersdealt with by the NationalPolice at this station, suchas requests for NIEnumbers, invitation letters,residence cards, andRegistration Certificatesfor EU Citizens.

The number for Englishspeakers is: 952 197 114

For Spanish speakers:952 198 355

Timetables for ForeignResidents’ matters atFuengirola NationalPolice station from August19:

9am–11am – withappointment: NIE request,authorisations to return,invitation letters.

11am–1pm – withappointment: Request andissue of Residence Cards,Request and issue ofRegistration Certificatesfor EU Citizens.

1pm–1pm – withoutappointment: Collectionof residence cards, requestfor urgent procedures.

FUENGIROLA Tourism Coun-cillor Ignacio Souviron reportedthat visits to the MunicipalTourism Office in July increasedconsiderably compared to last year.

This, he said, reflected thepositive tourist season whichFuengirola and the Costa del Solare having this year.

“We are at the height of thesummer season, with the streetsand beaches full of people, andregistered visits to the TourismOffice have allowed us to monitorthe influx of tourists,” Souvironexplained, pointing out that“throughout July the number ofvisits has risen a lot compared tolast year, which ties in with the

data and predictions given theother day by Mayor of FuengirolaEsperanza Oña and the presidentof the Costa del Sol Hoteliers’Association (AEHCOS), JoseCarlos Escribano.”

The councillor added: “Theimportance of increasing theMunicipal Tourism Office’sopening hours is to offer betterquality service to the tourists whovisit us.” They are from 9am to6pm from Monday to Friday, andfrom 10am to 2pm at weekends.On weekdays, the office is visitedby an average of 370 people everyday, while at weekends, there havebeen 341 visitors in the four hoursit is open.

Souviron mentioned that in July,a noticeable rise in the number ofFrench tourists was registered, aswell as Russians.

He spoke of the work the townhall has done to make sure thetown and its beaches are at theirbest, and highlighted the additionalleisure and entertainmentactivities, including the facilities atthe River Park, which has a zip-line, boats for hire, bouncy castlesand food kiosks, the concerts atSohail Castle, the SummerCinema, the Beer Festival, theMedieval Market, and handicraftmarkets such as the one held onFridays at the Finca del SecretarioRoman archaeological site.

Tourism in Fuengirolashowing positive signs

POSITIVE PREDICTIONS: Mayor Oña and President of AEHCOS Jose Carlos Escribano.

Visits to the Municipal Tourism Office increased in July due tothe positive tourist season

August 20134 FUENGIROLA MONTHLY

• Party to honour the elderlyInvitations can be collected from

September 3 to 20 at the Puebla LuciaHogar Social (Social Home) in Calle

Blanca Paloma, 4, from 9.30am to 1pm. The party will be on September 24

at 2pm at the Juan Gomez ‘Juanito’Pavilion.

• Film afternoons at the Alfil CinemaMonday to Thursday (except holidays) at

the Alfil Cinema in Avenida Camilo JoseCela. Price €3.50. Must show Fuengirola

Pensioners’ Card at thebox office along with ID.

• Weekly DanceFree live music, on

Friday at the Hogal Social(Social Home) atComplejo Elola, CalleMiguel Bueno, and onSaturday at the HogarSocial in Puebla Lucia,Calle Blanca Paloma, 4.

There are alsomunicipal workshops inballroom dancing (begin-ner and advanced level),regional dancing (advan-ced level), computer tech-nology (several levels), oilpainting and acting.

Places in the workshopsfor the 2013/2014 termwill be given out fromSeptember 2 at the HogarSocial. Limited placesavailable, given on a firstcome, first served basis.

Registration for theActive Maintenance work-shop is from September10. Classes will start onOctober 16.

Other services forelderly residents withFuengirola Pensioners’Card at affordable pricesinclude: Chiropody,appointments on: 699 825901. At the Hogar Socialin Puebla Lucia, CalleBlanca Paloma, 4.

Chiropodist: Maria delMar Claros Gomez

Hairdressing:Appointments on: 606

049 498At the Hogar Social in

Puebla Lucia, CalleBlanca Paloma, 4.

Hairdresser: JuanAragones Gomez.

Leisure activities for senior citizens

THE FuengirolaCouncillor forBeaches, Ana Mula,has reported that thelocal Lifeguard Servicecarried out 1,700actions during its firstmonth, most of whichwere preventativemeasures on land.

Mula pointed outhow well the servicewas operating on theseven local beachesand no seriousincidents werereported. She said thatthe town hall makes ahuge effort to ensurethe beaches are as safeas possible so thateveryone who comesto enjoy the coast ofFuengirola can do sowith the greatestguarantees. However,she reminded localsand visitors that thereis no better safetyguarantee thanprevention.

Out of all theactions, 1,500 werecarried out on land,

while 200 were in thewater. Most of themwere for minor first aiddue to knocks or smallinjuries, whichaccounted for 91 percent, while the restwere due to nausea,burns or contusions.

Meanwhile, 96 percent of actions in thewater havebeenpreventativemeasuresaimed atpeople (115)and boats(72). Therehave onlybeen 12 searescues, and none ofthem while red flagswere flying. Therefore,the most importantthing to point out is thejob the lifeguards aredoing to prevent riskand accident. Duringthe first month of theservice there were noserious events toreport.

Other actions have

included getting 24 lostchildren back to theirfamilies. Lifeguardshave identity braceletsto hand out to children,which allow them toquickly locate theirfamilies in case theyget lost on the beach.

There are 34 peoplein the beach service

which waslaunchedon June 15and willcontinueuntilSeptember15. For thefirst timethis year,

the Local Police areco-ordinating theservice, which iscarried out bylifeguards, the coast-guard, and mainte-nance and cleaningstaff.

There are 25lifeguards distributedat points on each of thelocal beaches, as wellas two co-ordinators, a

doctor, a technicaldirector, an ambulancedriver and a nurse atthe co-ordinationcentre, two sailors anda communicationsoperator.

The Health Assis-tance and MaritimeLifeguard Services aimto guarantee that firstaid is provided inminor cases, a nurse ison call if an emergencyrequires it and there isa doctor for moresevere injuries, as wellas specialised transportready to take thepatient to hospital ifnecessary.

It also includes themonitoring of allbathing and allpreventative tasksrelated to lifeguardservice in the sea, andproviding informationand advice to beach-goers, in order to dealwith any incidentwhich might arise inrelation to search,rescue and lifesaving.

Lifeguard service onhand in 1,700 casesMost have been preventative measures andinformative talks carried out on land

As yet noseriousincidentsreported

Fuengirola Town Hall has organised a variety of leisure activities for elderly residents

August 2013 5FUENGIROLA MONTHLY

Beachmassageservice Between eight and15 massages carriedout every day

LOS BOLICHES Beach hada visit from BeachesCouncillor Ana Mula.

She was there to learn first-hand how the professionalmassage and physiotherapyservice on the beach isworking.

The service has beenavailable since August 3.

Councillor Mula wasaccompanied by Jose ManuelPastora, representing thecompany Rehab Costa delSol, which is in charge ofoffering the service, and whopointed out that “in just aweek, we have seen a rise ofalmost 35 per cent in thenumber of services requiredcompared to the beginning oflast season, with betweeneight and 15 massages perday.”

The service was availablein the summer of 2012 in twoareas of the Fuengirola coast,and was a huge success.

Mula explained: “Thecouncil aim to offer a massageservice provided byprofessionals with officialqualifications to carry out thisactivity.

“In this case, on this localbeach, we are fighting againstpeople practising a professionwithout qualifications, byoffering a legal, regulatedservice with qualified staff.”

She added: “Thecoastguards ensure theactivity is not carried outillegally, and there have been302 actions against suchactivities so far this summer.”

BIOPARC Fuengirola is tocreate the largest reptileexhibition in Spain.

Mayor Esperanza Oñavisited the 2,000-square-metre area, which will open tothe public at the beginning ofSeptember, with exoticcreatures including the

Komodo dragon, consideredthe most dangerous reptile inthe world, and giant tortoisesfrom the Galapagos Islands,which can weigh up to 350kilos and live to more than150 years old.

Meanwhile, Bioparc iscarrying out a campaign on

local beaches this summer toraise awareness about theimportance of caring for theenvironment.

Children and adults alikehave visited the marquees setup along the beaches to takepart in educational games andworkshops.

Mayor Oña visits the site. Inset: Children on the beach learn through play at a Bioparc tent.

Bioparc plans newreptile enclosure

FUENGIROLA Council hasrenewed its agreement with theSpanish Association AgainstCancer (AECC) to use amunicipal building in theCarvajal area.

The charitable organisationhas 130 volunteers in the areaand offers free services forcancer patients and theirrelatives.

Councillor for Social ServicesFrancisco Jose Martin met withAECC’s regional presidentPaula Casas to renew theagreement for another year.

AECC to stay in CarvajalTown council renews agreement with cancer charity

IN AGREEMENT: Councillor Jose Martin and Paula Casas.

This is more than last year, when there were 1,863 people with3,737 queries.

Queries received by the Foreign Residents’ Department in thefirst six months of the year:

The European Union (EU) citizens who require the mostinformation are the British and Irish, followed by the Finnish,Swedish, Danish, Dutch and Belgians, although there are alsoqueries from other non-EU citizens including those fromAustralia, Iran, Morocco, Argentina, Ukraine, India, Malaysia,Iraq, Venezuela, Paraguay, Egypt, Colombia, Philippines,Japan, Cuba, Russia, Thailand, Brazil, Kuwait, China andNigeria.

During these months, the queries and procedures carried outincluded the following:

• Explanation about the new Environmental Refuse Handling(GEMER) tax

• Paying municipal taxes by direct debit• GEMER letter delivery alerts• Information about municipal debts and payment methods• Registration confirmation• Explanation about the system for grants on municipal taxes• Registered residents (new residents, change of address and

registration and cohabitation certificates)• Municipal tax calendar• Change of name on municipal taxes• Driving licence changeover• Change of address on driving licence• Disable parking permits• Urban bus passes and pensioners’ cards• UE Residents Registration Certificates• Social Security Affiliation• Registration of common-law couples• Civil weddings• Business opening licences• Financial help• Declaration of assets abroad• Adding co-proprietors to municipal taxes• Free legal aid• Provincial Traffic Department (various procedures)• Clarifying embargoes• Minor building licences• Road occupancy permits • Remote assistance

Citizens from Queries

Germany, Austria 35UK, Ireland 2,641France 63Norway 58Sweden 211Finland 601Denmark 217Holland, Belgium 211USA 6Other EU countries 278Non-EU countries 136

Total 4,402

August 20136 FUENGIROLA MONTHLY

A busy six months forForeign Residents DeptThe Foreign Residents’ Department attended to 2,501 people and resolved 4,402 queries in the first six months of 2013

FUENGIROLA Town Hall providesmunicipal grants for:

• Municipal Sports Programmes• Workshops at the Casa de la Cultura

(Cultural Centre)• Municipal Infant Schools• Youth Area Workshops• Summer Schools (certain periods)• Disabled Children (certain periods)

To access municipal grants, check thelist of requirements and documentsneeded, which is available at themunicipal facility where you wish torequest registration for a course ormunicipal workshop.

Once you have gathered the requireddocuments and filled in the request form(available at the municipal facility whereyou wish to request registration for a

course or municipal workshop) you musthad it in at the ‘Registro General’ deskon the ground floor at the town hall,from Monday to Friday from 9am to2pm.

***The list of requirements,documents needed and request forms formunicipal grants are also available fromthe Foreign Residents’ Council.

Grants available in municipality

August 2013 7FUENGIROLA MONTHLY

THE 2013/2014 sports seasonhas been announced by localCouncillor for Sports, PedroCuevas.

The main novelty this year isthe ‘Fuengirola Cara al Mar’(Fuengirola Facing the Sea)programme which will continueinto July and August.

“The season will start onSeptember 2, and this time we aregoing to extend it so that insteadof ending on June 30 as it did in

the past, it will continue untilAugust 31 with sports activitiesin the summer,” Cuevas said.

The sports activities will beheld on the beaches, the port andthe River Park, and includePaddle Beach, Paddle Surf,Beach Volleyball, Sailing,Fishing, Canoeing and BeachHandball, as well as the wateractivities in the municipalswimming pools and the SummerCamp, being held for the second

year at the Elola Complex. Cuevas explained that the

sports on offer have been dividedinto four areas: municipal sportsschools, physical and sportsactivities for adults, water sportsactivities, and the above-mentioned summer programme.

The Sports Department hasintroduced novelties in the SportsSchools, and there are now 22,with the new canoeing, padeltennis, chess and volleyball

schools. Specialities are: Aikido,Chess, Athletics, Basketball,Handball, Fencing, Football-7,Indoor Football, Gymnastics,Hockey on Skates, Judo, Karate,Swimming, Padel Tennis, FigureSkating, Canoeing, Sailing,Squash, Tennis, Table Tennis,Volleyball and Kiddie Sport.

Adults can enjoy activities likephysical training, aerobics, body-tonic, Qi-Gong, maintenanceexercises, exercise for the elderly,Pilates, back toning, muscletoning, Tai-Chi, Aikido, Chess,Athletics, Fencing, Karate, PadelTennis, Figure Skating,Canoeing, Squash, Tennis, TableTennis, Volleyball and Sailing.

Cuevas said the water activitieswill be taking place in the MariaPelaez and David MecaSwimming Pools. “This year weare going to hold all thechildren’s activities at the DavidMeca swimming pool, and thephysical and water activities foradults, such as back toning andactivities for adults and theelderly will be held at the MariaPelaez Swimming Pool.”

Those interested can get moreinformation by phone on 952 466777 or via email on deportes@fuengirola.org

The 2013/2014 sports season setto kick off in SeptemberThe sports season will continue into August next year

IN THE SWIM: Some events will take place at municipal pools.

THIS month, thousands of people have visitedthe beer festival which was held at the SohailCastle. They were able to enjoy German beer

and traditional dishes, as well as music playedby a professional Bavarian orchestra. Theevent created jobs for 70 locals.

CHEERS!: Raising a toast to German beer.

Thousands visit German Beer Fest

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