Recently some bar owners have been asked to dismantle their  terraces which are set up in parking spaces outside their bars. there followed a meeting at the town hall , where very few bar owners attended, and since then all has been quiet!!

It seems the problem has been brought to the attention of the town hall by digruntled businesses who feel the terraces have used up valuable parking spaces. though I expect their popularity may also have something to do with it.

True when signing up for terraces the owners are told it must be taken in at night!!  However if that is the case what do they do when the spaces are occupied overnight and cannot be used the next day after they have paid for them??

I for one as a non smoker and carer of a wheelchair bound friend  love the terraces. It means when we go walking we don’t  have to hold our breath on pavements outside bars  as clients get their nicotine fix!! Whenwe are out walking we do not have to negotiate and weave in and out of tables on the pavement.

I also think these terraces enhance the area, which lets face it people come to for the sun, so what better way to enjoy it , whilst keeping local busineses going!

I think the town hall would be doing the area a great injustice  in taking these away!  And lets no forget the owners pay the town hall for the privelege of using the spaces, whereas people parking pay nothing!!

In Javea there are 16,073 people who have the right to vote in the local elections on May 22^nd.  This is made up of 11.611 Spanish, 4235 foreign residents and 227 Spanish whose main residence is outside Javea.  If you have signed on the Javea Padron you should have a vote. The first time you vote you are sent a letter where you opt to use your vote, after that it is taken that you will vote if your pardon is current.

From the 4^th to the 11^th of April the electoral lists will be available to view in the Registro General in Carrer d’ Avall 39( same as the Padron Office). If you wish to check that you are on the register you need to take your reisdencia and passport or Spanish drivers licence to establish your identity. You can then check for your name on the list in your voting area.  If your name is not there and you are on the pardon you can make a claim to vote and this will be dealt with 3 days after the public viewing has finished.

Postal votes are available and must be requested before 12^th May. For this you can find the correct form in the local post office which will be sent to the Electoral office in Alicante. They will then return the appropriate forms to allow you to vote between  2^nd and 15^th of may. All postal votes must be received by 18^th May.

For those of you who are Spanish car owners  Friday 25^th March is the day for publishing car tax. You then have until 6^th June to pay it. If you have bought a car in the last 12 months the tax bill will be posted to the address the car is registered to. You must then take it to a bank that collaborates with the town hall and pay it in cash. If you have an account in one of these banks you can pay it from your account. Once you have the receipt of payment in your name you can then go to the Tesoro office in Calle Mayor and set up a standing order from your bank account for the following years.

Javea town council in their wisdom have decided to improve the area of La Guardia road where it is susceptible to flooding in extreme rain. Residents are well aware of the difficulty faced by the torrents of rain that flow down this road during winter storms, which often make it impassable.  However much as they welcome this upgrade of the drainage system, they do question the Town hall’s decision to commence the work on the 9^th August – one of the busiest traffic weeks of the summer holidays!!!

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As if dealing with the August heat  is not enough we now have to contend with the possibility of strike action by the air traffic controllers in Spain! We were just starting to think we had got through the summer unscathed by the Ash cloud or French air traffic controllers!!!!

The Spanish controllers voted on Tuesday 3^rd August to carry out industrial action in the month of August. However they are still in  negotiations and have not declared a definite day for disruption.

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