No debt and fast payment on the Costa del Sol

FOLLOWING an investigation into the state of council finances and payments by the National government, the Fuengirola council vowed to do all that it could to ensure that it borrowed as little as possible and paid suppliers quickly. By June of 2018, it was able to report that it had no debt with financial institutions and payment was made within 34 days of receipt of bills compared to the average which was generally more than 90 days. Since that time, things have progressed considerably and Mayor Ana Mula has announced that debt remains at zero but payment is now made on average within less than 15 days thanks to the hard work of the council staff.

It isn’t just the staff however who are responsible for this success but also the residents of the municipality who pay their taxes quickly, many taking advantage of payment plans and reductions for those who need assistance. She is delighted that Fuengirola has one of the best records on the Costa del Sol in terms of average payment where other municipalities take from between 37 and 118 days even though the legal expectation is no more than 30 days. It is thanks to the efficiency of the council that it was able to reduce property tax and in the last review of 400 municipalities throughout Spain by Dyntra, (which reviews all towns and cities with populations exceeding 15,000); Fuengirola came out top for transparency and speed of payment. It is a management directive that every euro is spent efficiently and in a manner which can easily be viewed and accounted for.