{"id":19480,"date":"2021-08-17T10:21:49","date_gmt":"2021-08-17T08:21:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.latribunedeplanas.com\/?p=19480"},"modified":"2025-08-05T12:50:31","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T10:50:31","slug":"we-dont-accept-blackmail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.latribunedeplanas.com\/en\/we-dont-accept-blackmail\/","title":{"rendered":"We Reject Blackmail: Lighting Comes First!"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section-Article” module_class=”section-article” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ admin_label=”Ligne-Article” module_class=”ligne-article et_pb_row_fullwidth” _builder_version=”4.16″ width=”100%” width_tablet=”100%” width_phone=”” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” max_width=”100%” max_width_tablet=”100%” max_width_phone=”” max_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_margin=”0px||0px” custom_padding=”0px||0px” make_fullwidth=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”TexteWe Reject Blackmail: Lighting Comes First!” module_class=”txt-article” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ text_font=”|300|||||||” header_font=”||||||||” header_2_line_height=”1.2em” header_3_font=”||||||||” header_3_line_height=”1.3em” header_4_text_align=”center” hover_enabled=”0″ text_line_height_tablet=”” text_line_height_phone=”1.3em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|desktop” header_3_font_size_tablet=”” header_3_font_size_phone=”23px” header_3_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

Immediate Suspension of Discussions with the Town Hall<\/h2>\n

\nMr. Mayor of Pratdip,
\nLadies and Gentlemen of the Municipal Council,
\nMs. Ana Paixa, legal advisor to the Town Hall,\n<\/p>\n

This is the official position of our association, the Asociaci\u00f3n de Vecinos de Planes del Rei<\/span> (SOS Planas).<\/p>\n

A Clear and Irrevocable Decision<\/h3>\n

Following oral and telephone consultations with many of our members, our board has made the following decision:<\/p>\n

AS OF TODAY, WE SUSPEND ALL DIALOGUE WITH THE TOWN HALL UNTIL PUBLIC LIGHTING IS RESTORED.<\/p>\n

The recent proposal from the Pratdip Town Hall, offering to restore public lighting only in exchange<\/span> for our support of a new urbanistic entity, is in our view unacceptable blackmail<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Facts and Legal Context<\/h3>\n

We remind you that, according to the ruling of the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC)<\/a> dated 21 July 2016<\/span>, the Town Hall should have dissolved the EUCC as early as 1993<\/span>, at the end of the five-year legal period.<\/p>\n

Had this legal obligation been fulfilled, the property owners of Planes del Rei would have avoided paying nearly 5 million euros<\/span> between 1993 and 2016, under a system of unjust and illegal double taxation.<\/p>\n

It is precisely this context that led the judges of the TSJC to order the dissolution of the EUCC on 21 July 2016, and to confirm this decision in an appeal ruling<\/a> on 10 May 2021<\/span>, rejecting the Town Hall\u2019s appeal and sentencing it to pay \u20ac2,000<\/span> in court costs.<\/p>\n

Legitimate Rights, Legal Obligation<\/h3>\n

We contribute approximately \u20ac230,000 annually in IBI<\/span> to the Town Hall. It is therefore entirely legitimate to demand a public lighting service costing an estimated \u20ac5,000<\/span> per year.<\/p>\n

By denying this basic service, the Town Hall is, in our view, violating Law 7\/1985 of April 2<\/span>, which governs local administration across Spain.<\/p>\n

What the Law Says<\/h3>\n

Article 26<\/span> of this law clearly states that all municipalities<\/span> must guarantee the following services:<\/p>\n