Despite continued protests, the Council in El Puerto de Santa Maria has approved the privatisation of the administration of the water supply, the company Aqualia acquiring 49% of the shares of the municipal water company Apemsa.
The approval was with the votes of the PP and PA, the PSOE, IU and Ciudadanos Portuenses parties joining the public in the gallery in a symbolic gesture of opposition to the measure.
The Town Hall was guarded from early in the morning by three National Police vans and a dozen Local Police officers and public entry to the building was limited to forty citizens. The IU leader, Antonio Fernández described this action as ‘undemocratic’ and an ‘outrage’.
There are many who view these 49% privatisations of local services purely as a quick and easy way for Councils to obtain cheap loans.