CASARES REPRESENTED AT INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FAIR ON COSTA DEL SOL

Casares is represented at Euroal, the international tourism fair of the Costa del Sol which is taking place this month.Councillor Sonia Saborido and Ecotourcasares are representing the town at the annual tourism showcase. The display for Casares shows highlights of the tourism season including the festival of New Andalucian Cinema which takes place next week. The Casares stand is staffed by members of the Ecotourcasares co-operative which helps to boost tourism in the town. The Euroal fair is mainly aimed at tour operators from Europe and Latin America.

MAYOR SIGNS INVESTMENT PLAN WORTH 230,000 EURO FOR CASARES

Mayor Antonia Morera yesterday signed an investment plan that will bring 230,000 Euro to Casares. She went to the Malaga Council to sign off on the plan. The budget will be divided between Casares, Secadero and Casares Costa. In Casares the money will finance new street sanitation. For Casares Costa the money will be used to repave the roadway at Bahia de Casares. And in Secadero the extra money will be used to modernise services on Calle Guadiaro.

DAMP PROBLEMS IN HOUSES AROUND THE CASARES CASTLE TO BE ADDRESSED

A plumbing problem in one house in the area surrounding the Castle in Casares has caused major damp problems for residents there. Following a visit by councillor Pepe Carrasco and municipal staff to the damaged area this week, technicians from the Junta de Andalusia have examined the scene. They said that the damp in several houses was caused by a leak in one house which spread. They said that once the leak has been repaired the dampness will disappear. The Andalucian Housing Agency promised 165,000 Euro last December to repair homes but this money was suspended following a change in the agency’s leadership. Mayor Antonia Morera has requested a meeting with the new boss of the agency.

More than a thousand people took part in a May Day rally in Malaga which had a strong political theme.

Trade unionists and political activists from left wing parties joined the demonstration which marched to Constitution Square where they heard speeches from trade union leaders.

CASARES TAXI DRIVERS TOOK PART IN ONE DAY STRIKE THIS WEEK

Taxi drivers from Casares took part in the one day province wide strike on Wednesday against the Junta de Andalucia’s decision to allow taxi drivers from Malaga to go to local villages to collect customers. The general strike took place all along the coastline from Motril to Tarifa and in the interior and there was a gathering of taxi drivers at the Sports Palace in Malaga. The strike was held under the slogan” For our airport, for our rights”. Taxi drivers leader Juan Antonio Frias said there was an outright rejection of the decision to allow taxi drivers from the capital to collect customers from other municipalities. Taxi drivers from outside Malaga have claimed that this is an unfair measure that will affect their livelihoods.

ALL SAINTS DAY DREW BIG CROWDS FOR CELEBRATIONS IN CASARES

This year’s All Saints celebration drew big crowds to various events in Casares. Hundreds of people gathered at the cemetery for the annual chestnut festival. And at the Casares, Secadero and Casares Costa there was a big turn out for the Halloween parties. May outside visitors came to Casares for the All Saints festival and roasted chestnuts, chocolates and sweets were handed out by students from as part of their fund raising activities. The Blas Infante Cultural Centre had 109 visitors, of which eight per cent were foreign tourists. At Casares Costa a hundred children took part in the Halloween party at the Deputy Mayor’s office where they enjoyed the entertainment.

PROPERTY SALES TO FOREIGNERS IN MALAGA PROVINCE HAVE REACHED PRE CRISIS LEVELS

Property sales to foreigners in Malaga province  have reached pre crisis levels with a 30 per cent increase recorded for the second quarter. There were two and a half thousand property transactions by foreigners, almost 40 per cent of the total number.

MALAGA RECORDS THE BEST AUGUST FOR TOURISM IN OVER A DECADE

Malaga province has recorded the best August for tourism in over a decade. The tourist levels were at a pre crisis peak and show that the tourist sector is driving the economic recovery in the province. The figures show that while August was a record month for visitors , the trend reflects the growth in tourism for the whole year. Recently released figures show that the number of people staying in hotels increased by 2.2 per cent on August last year, while overnight stays increased by 2.4 per cent. The number of foreign visitors also increased by 4 per cent in August, with a corresponding increase in overnight stays by foreign tourists of 5.4 per cent. The Costa del Sol recorded a fourteen point lead in tourists above the average in the rest of Andalucia.

MALAGA PROVINCE RECORDS A SLIGHT UPSURGE IN PROPERTY SALES

Malaga province has recorded a slight upsurge in property sales, fuelling speculation that the end of the property slump could be in sight. The boost is in contrast to the picture throughout Spain and the rest of Andalucia where property prices continue to be in negative figures. In July Malaga recorded a 15 per cent increase in the number of property sales. The province came fourth behind Madrid, Barcelona and Alicante and recorded a third of all property transactions in July. Promoters say that the existing property stock will soon be exhausted and there will soon be a demand for new developments.

THE SCHOOL YEAR STARTS IN CASARES WITH A SPECIAL DAY TO WELCOME NEW STUDENTS

It was back to school this week for children in Casares and Secadero. A special day was held on Wednesday to welcome the 800 students who will be attending the Blas Infante and Los Almendros schools. There are 350 pupils enrolled at Blas Infante and 162 at Los Almendros in Secadero. Teaching staff were making the final preparations this week for the return to school and all services, including dining and school transport, are ready. Yesterday the normal school schedule resumed from 9 to 2 in Casares and Secadero. A full programme of extracurricular activities will commence in October.

IRISH GANGLAND FIGURE GUNNED DOWN IN HAIL OF BULLETS IN ELVIRIA

An Irish gangland figure was shot and killed by two gunmen who attacked him at a well known Irish bar in Elviria last Saturday. Gerard Kavanagh, whose nickname was Hatchet, was a 44 year old convicted drug dealer who was well known to Irish police. He was drinking outside Harmons Irish Bar in Elviria just before five o' clocl on Saturday when two gunmen dressed in black and wearing black balaclavas opened fire with pistols. Kavanagh was hit nine times before one of the killers fired a final shot to his head. The gunmen escaped in a BMW car which was found burned out five kilometres away. Irish police have been liasising with Spanish police in a bid to discover who was behind the gangland murder. One theory is that Kavanagh, who was a close associate of a well known Irish drugs lord who lives outside Estepona, was in dispute with a Russian mafia gang over drugs money.Four men have been killed this year in suspected gangland linked shootings on the Costa del Sol.

UNEMPLOYMENT FALLS FOR THE FOURTH MONTH IN A ROW IN CASARES

Unemployment has dropped in Casares for the fourth consecutive month in a row. The latest figures show the jobless figure at 474 in June, that’s a drop of 12 on the previous month. A similar trend was reported in Estepona where there were 380 less people on the dole, making a total figure of 6,444. Unemployment also fell in Manilva where the jobless figure for June was 1,199. The overall trend was repeated throughout Malaga province where the uneployment figure for June was 189,769, a drop of 6,612 than in May. The latest figures show that unemployment is at its lowest since 2011. However the trade unions say that much of the improvement is due to seasonal factors and the increase in service jobs during the summer months.

BEACHES ARE PREPARED FOR BUSY SUMMER SEASON AHEAD

The beaches of Casares Costa have been prepared for what is expected to be a busy summer season. The most recent work was the movement of new sand to Playa Ancha and Piedra Paloma to make them more amenable for bathers. In addition new beach equipment has been installed including 300 metres of wooden walkways, and new showers and toilets. This will allow easy access to the beaches from the paseo. The lifeguard service will come on stream from June 28th until August 31st and the ayuntamiento has awarded the contract to the local company SOS Mediterranea.

CASARES COSTA GETS READY FOR SAN JUAN CELEBRATIONS NEXT WEEK

San Juan will be celebrated with a feast of activities on the beaches of Casares Costa next Monday night. The official start of the summer season will also see the beginning of the Casares Costa Cultural Week which will last until June 30th. San Juan night gets underway at 7 pm at Playa Ancha with a children’s party with jugglers, clowns, acrobats, drummers and magicians. The evening’s activities will continue with flamenco and dance entertainment from La Cala orchestra. The party leads up to the climax of the traditional beach bonfire at midnight which this year will be made by Juan Angel Gomez Anja Tiedemann who has made works for previous years such as the The African Village and  The Dragon. The Cultural Week starts on Tuesday with an arts and crafts exhibition, and continues on Wednesday with a zumba exhibition at Playa Ancha. The week will close with a cultural trip on Monday June 30th.

LOCAL COMPANY WINS TENDER TO PROVIDE LIFEGUARD SERVICES THIS SUMMER

A local company has won this year's tender for lifeguarding services on the beaches. SOS Mediterranea will provide health assistance, surveillance and rescue duties this summer. Four companies tendered for the service but  the local compnay won the tender with a jid of 51,000 Euro, that's 8,000 less than the basic budget. The lifeguard service will operate on the beaches from June 28th until August 31st. There will be six lifeguards on duty along with the necessary equipment and trained medical personnel and an ambulance. The Ayuntamiento reminds anyone interested in applying for positions with the lifeguard service that they have until June19th to submit their applications in the municipal office in Casares, Casares Costa or Secadero. The Governing Board also awarded the contract for lighting at this year's ferias to PORGESA Cordoba.

Popular Vote... "Majestic"

Which work do you prefer to be done en 2014? June the 13th, popular vote

Popular Vote... "Doña Julia"

Which work do you prefer to be done en 2014? June the 13th, popular vote

THE JUNTA APPROVES AN ALMOST ONE AND HALF MILLION EURO IN NEW SCHOOLS IN MANILVA

A new investment of almost one and a half million Euro for The Vines in Manilva has been apporved by the Junta de Andalucia. The refurbishment programme will include the construction of a six classrooms for the High School, two classrroms for secondary education, three refreshment rooms, toilets, and a walkway to the existing site. The project has been allocated a budget of 1.48 million Euro. The new project will benefit students from Casares, Manilva, Sabinillas and other areas of the Campo de Gibraltar. It will also mean removing the eight pre fabricated classrooms which were built in 2007 to cater for the increased number of students. The new building will have an area of almost twelve hundred square metres and is financed by EU funding.

ECOTOURCASARES RECORDED OVER 5,000 VISITORS TO ITS RECEPTION CENTRE IN ITS FIRST YEAR OF OPERATION

Ecotourcasares has recorded more than 5,000 tourists at its visitor reception centre in its first full year of operation. The tourism co-operative provides detailed information in different languages on hotels, restaurants and entertainment in the area. A total of 5,038 people visited the reception centre. Ecotourcasares also aimed to provide more than just information and to this end it also organised walking trips through the most spectacular natural beauty spots in the area. The co-operative is also hsoting along with the Ayuntamiento the first festival of new Andalucian cinema next July.

INFORMATIVE NOTE: IBI TAX DISCOUNT

Casares Town Council, with the agreement of all the political groups, has decided to reduce the tax burden on our neighbours, this is a fully responsible measure which makes sustainable the services provided by the local administration.

The political agreement and the work done by all the members of the Council make possible that these initiatives belong to all the political groups and finally to the Town Council as an institution, ensuring them a long duration.

The measures encouraged by the Town Council are two, supplementary to other subsidies already announced by Diputación: 

1.- 15% reduction of the property value on all the bills in Casares. According to the different patterns which have been studied it freezes the expected rise on our bills on 2014.

2.- 20% discount (Max 200 €), by request, of all the bills of the houses used as first home by registered neighbours (empadronados), as well as businesses which pay the IAE tax in our town, or garages whose owners pay the car tax in Casares. Besides the payments of those bills should be done by direct debit and the owner must not have debts to the Town Council. 

We think this matter is very important and we would like to inform as many people as possible, therefore

We are going to establish an INFORMATIVE AND PRE-APPLICATION PERIOD FROM DECEMBER THE 10th TO 27^th at the Town Hall in Casares, Secadero and Costa, from 10:00h to 14:00h.

You are going to get a first-hand information and we will help you to have a 20% discount on your bill next year, besides you can apply for an Installment payment plan.

In order to expedite the works please bring the last year IBI bill, also your NIE and your bank account number to set up direct debit if you have not do it yet.

Sincerely,

Antonia Morera Rojas

Alcaldesa del Ayuntamiento de Casares

CASARES TOWN COUNCIL

WE LOWER TAXES

WE SUPPORT LOCAL SERVICES