Alex Trelinski
BENISSA on the northern Costa Blanca is taking a novel approach to getting non-Spaniards to register on the local padron by employing a team of door-knockers.
The council believes there are around 3,000 unregistered British and foreign nationals out of a 10,000-strong population.
The area has one of the highest percentages of non-Spaniards of any Costa Blanca municipality.
Benissa mayor, Arturo Poquet, says they’ve worked out the 3,000 figure based on their current padron numbers and what the National Institute of Statistics believes is the actual population.
The council has hired a firm to bridge the gap, which will include four ‘field-workers’ that will make house calls to properties in the coastal area of the municipality.
Councils benefit from having as many people as possible on a padron as they get more money from regional and national governments.
The number of councillors on an authority is also determined by padron numbers.
If that figure falls, then so do the number of elected representatives.
Arturo Poquet said: “The benefits of registering ensures that you get access to everything you need including essential services like education, social care, getting a health card, or the right to vote in local elections.”
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