Jon Clarke is a Londoner who worked at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday as an investigative journalist before moving to Spain in 2003 where he helped set up the Olive Press.
After studying Geography at Manchester University he fell in love with Spain during a two-year stint teaching English in Madrid.
On returning to London, he studied journalism and landed his first job at the weekly Informer newspaper in Teddington, covering hundreds of stories in areas including Hounslow, Richmond and Harrow.
This led on to work at the Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Standard and even the Sun, before he landed his first full time job at the Daily Mail.
After a year on the Newsdesk he worked as a Showbiz correspondent covering mostly music, including the rise of the Spice Girls, the rivalry between Oasis and Blur and interviewed many famous musicians such as Joe Strummer and Ray Manzarak, as well as Peter Gabriel and Bjorn from Abba on his own private island.
After a year as the News Editor at the UK’s largest-selling magazine Now, he returned to work as an investigative journalist in Features at the Mail on Sunday.
As well as tracking down Jimi Hendrix’ sole living heir in Sweden, while there he also helped lead the initial investigation into Prince Andrew’s seedy links to Jeffrey Epstein during three trips to America.
He had dozens of exclusive stories, while his travel writing took him to Jamaica, Brazil and Belarus.
He is the author of three books; Costa Killer, Dining Secrets of Andalucia and My Search for Madeleine.
Contact jon@theolivepress.es
Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)
In Marbella there are more than 20,000 illegal properties that have been built on United Nations protected habitat
Properties constructed without a building licence issued by the respective Town Halls will always be illegal until they have been legalised, if it is possible, under the existing laws.
Properties built with a building licence issued by the Town Hall should be legal.
Surely this is why purchasers use the professional services of lawyers and Notarios to ensure that there are no illegalities with their properties when they buy.
Retrospectively cancelling building licences, as is happening now, will not encourage people to buy in Spain.
The biggest loser in the long run will be Spain.
One million expats spending on average 1,000 euros a month will not be easy to replace in the economy of Spain.
Good point, Dennis. That’s a lot of money. And the whole planning and building licence issue is a total fiasco.
Fortunately, however, in some areas the locals have realised how much the investment by northern Europeans in the local economy (property purchase, car, shopping, employment, tax, etc) has improved their lot overall. And as a result relations between locals and immigrants are very good. Many small villages that were crumbling rural backwaters 20 years ago are now spruced up and thriving.
By the way, just signing on the padron brings 2000 euros a head per year to your local council (so why not do it today – it takes about 10 minutes, if that, and costs nothing!)
@ALAN: And Julian Muñoz, the ex-mayor of Marbella, after doing his stint in prison for authorising those builds is now treated as a celebrity. He charges a fortune for appearing on chat shows (‘programas de corazón’) and has been allowed to keep most of his ill-gotten gains. It’s not really much to dissuade similar-minded mayors from doing the same, is it?!