The beach chiringuitos in Marbella are being allowed to stay put, at least until after the summer.
The Mayor of Marbella, Angeles Muñoz, who is also a member of the regional government, is urging the Junta de Andalucía to defend the beach bars in the region in the battle with the Department of Environment and the central government.
The battle over wheher they will go or stay has been raging for a long time and the uncertainty is doing no-one any good. The beachfront industry, chiringuitos and restaurants, employ around 40,000 people and generate an income of €500 million.
They are also part of the charm and attraction of the coastal regions. It would make sense for the autonomous regional authorities to decide upon how their coastline is best used, rather than the central government, but when did common sense and politics eever go together?