RESOLUTION OF THE VALENCIAN COUNCIL FOR TRANSPARENCY AGAINST BENITATXELL TOWN COUNCIL
- All contracts entered into
- A list of the agreements signed
- Public grants and subsidies awarded
- Budgets
- Annual accounts
- Remuneration received annually by senior officials
- Annual declarations of assets and activities by local representatives
In order to provide an appropriate response to the complainant’s request, prior to the deliberation on this decision, this Council granted the Benitachell Town Council the right to be heard via electronic means, urging it on 27 January 2026 to put forward any arguments it deemed appropriate regarding the matters in question, as well as to provide this Council with any information relating to the matter that might be relevant; this was received on 30 January 2026, as per the acknowledgement of receipt on file; however, to date, no written response has been received from the local authority.
In short, having carried out the verification referred to in the Legal Basis, this Council must conclude that, as alleged, the Benitachell Town Council is indeed in serious breach of its most fundamental obligations regarding active disclosure, affecting such important matters as: the organisational chart, CVs, declarations of assets, remuneration and activities of the members of the Council, budgetary information, grants and subsidies awarded, and assets, in breach of the provisions of Articles 6, 7 and 8 of Law 19/2013.
THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION IS ISSUED
In view of the background and legal grounds set out above, the Valencian Transparency Council resolves:
- To uphold the complaint lodged with this Council by Mr Pepe Blas on 8th January 2026 against Benitachell Town Council, recognising the breach of the obligations imposed on it by Articles 6, 7 and 8 of Law 19/2013.
- To urge Benitachell Town Council to rectify the reported breaches within two months of being notified of this resolution, and to inform this Council of the measures taken to comply with the decision.
- To invite the applicant to bring to the attention of this Council any issue arising in connection with the implementation of this decision which might prejudice their rights and interests. They may do so within two months.
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Congratulations! Well done. This is a very significant decision not "just" in relation to the specific listed breaches but in my opinion, drawing a line. Making it clear that the reliance of the Ayuntamiento and it's related companies and organisations on the people of Benitachell to succumb to the effective denial of requests by silence and failure to respond, is not going to be accepted. That failure to apply transparency in line with related regulations contravenes the law and the rights of all people of Benitachell.
ReplyDeleteThanks for digging deep and sticking at it to get such a clear result.
Lorraine Fowler
A local council is not a restaurant where you eat what you like and leave what you don’t. A local council is not above the law. Failing to make information public is also a sign of contempt for local residents. Greater transparency leads to greater accountability. Less transparency means less credibility and less legitimacy to govern.
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