Alejandro Marichal: “After listening to all the stakeholders involved, the Sectoral Council concluded that indirect management is the most viable and effective option to guarantee a quality service that is legally secure and sustainable over time.”
Yilenia Vega: “The Sectoral Council also expressed its support for updating the prices of sunbeds and umbrellas, understanding that this is a necessary measure to adapt the service to the real costs and the demands of a top-level tourist destination.”
The Sectoral Council for Beaches of the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council agreed, in its ordinary session, to support the indirect management of the sunbed and umbrella service, ruling out municipalization and endorsing formulas such as administrative concession or service contract.
This stance comes after analyzing the actual situation of the service, which is currently provided with a contract that expired more than fifteen years ago and in a precarious situation, an inherited anomaly that the current governing group has decided to address with legal rigor, planning and transparency.
During the session, it was explained that the General Directorate of Coasts and Management of the Canary Islands Maritime Space has already authorized the seasonal services, integrating the kiosks and the sunbed sector into a single proposal, and that the City Council has commissioned an external team to draft the necessary specifications to tender the service in accordance with current legislation.
The First Deputy Mayor, Alejandro Marichal, emphasized that the decision was based on a thorough analysis shared by the various sectors involved. “The Sectoral Council, after listening to all stakeholders, concluded that indirect management is the most viable and effective option to guarantee a high-quality, legally sound, and sustainable service,” he stated.
In response to criticism from the opposition, which advocates for municipalization or management through a public company, the municipal government pointed out that a municipalization process was initiated in December 2021 but was never completed. They argued that moving forward now would require formally reversing that agreement through a supermajority vote in the plenary session. Following debate, the Sectoral Council rejected this option and endorsed a model that allows for the definitive regularization of the service and provides guarantees for both the administration and users.
In the same session, the Sectoral Council also ruled on the challenge to the price increase for the sunbed and umbrella service, following the modification of the regulatory ordinance that updates rates that had not been reviewed for years, going from 2,50 euros per unit to 4,50 euros.
The Councillor for Coastline and Beaches, Yilenia Vega, explained that, despite the existence of an appeal not yet officially registered, the Council's position was clear: "The Council members expressed their support for the price update and the established payment method, understanding that it is a necessary measure to adapt the service to the real costs and the demands of a top-level tourist destination," she noted.
In addition to these matters, the Sectoral Council addressed other issues related to coastal management, such as the status of the Blue Flag program, the authorization of tables and chairs on Maspalomas Beach, the planning of improvements to infrastructure and seafront promenades, and the commissioning of a study of alternatives to improve the condition of Meloneras Beach.
The Sectoral Council for Beaches is made up of representatives of the municipal government group, political and technical officials of the City Council, as well as representatives of beach service concessionaires, the tourism and business sector, cleaning and maintenance, surf schools and other agents directly linked to the management and use of the coastline, consolidating itself as a key body for participation and dialogue in decision-making about the beaches of the municipality.
