By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 04 Feb 2015 • 9:02
THE population of Malaga Province is declining, due in part to expats leaving the area, according to information from the National Statistics Institute that has caused alarm for officials.
Newly published figures for the period between January 2013 and January 2014 revealed a drop in inhabitants for Malaga Province for the first time in 17 years.
Although the number of Spanish residents increased, 43,000 expatriates have left the area (or failed to renew their registration) resulting in a 31,000 drop in registered inhabitants.
Coastal towns registered the largest drops, between 10 and 16 per cent, although 88 of the 103 towns and villages right across the province were affected.
Mijas, the town with the highest amount of expatriates, lost 8,079 inhabitants while Marbella lost 3,338.
Statistics department employee Alicia Jimenez said: “Many expatriates, especially Brits, arrived in the 80s and 90s to spend their retirement here but returned to the UK after becoming ill or widowed.”
The situation has set alarm bells ringing for councils as registered population is one of the main factors taken into account by the state and the Junta de Andalucia regional government when assigning funds.
Furthermore, the loss of population will not only affect funding as at least three towns in the province are due to lose councillors at the May local elections.
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High taxes, complicated Bureaucracy, police fining everyone for more and more offences each year, complicated licencing and live music laws scaring away entertainers and in turn making the costa quite drab, scaring away tourists, difficult employment and self employment laws. These may be some of the other reasons people are leaving!,, Don’t you think?
Well done Dave Morrow. Unfortunately we all know the problems and reasons why more and more people are leaving.It’s a shame that the local newspapers are willing to report that people are leaving, but not willing to write an article discussing the reasons why. Is it that the local newspapers are afraid of how the government/junta will react to an honest/open discussion?
These figures are ridiculously inaccurate as unfortunately the majority of ex-pats are totally unaware that they, residents, are required to renew the Pardon every FIVE years and every TWO years for non residents. It is most important for all Brits who owna property in Spain to not only sign on the PPardon but ensure that it is renewed, as above. Failure to do this effectively robs your local town hall of desperately needed funds as they are allocated money by the numbers on the Padron.
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