The Economic Services of the Dénia City Council are working on the development of a regulation that regulates the granting of aid to the payment of the occupation rate of public roads in the context of the health crisis caused by COVID-19. The concilor Paco Roselló yesterday he advanced to the members of the interdepartmental commission, which is held weekly in order to manage local public policies in the current crisis, that bonuses can reach up to 100% of the rate for all those applicants who comply with the ordinance of occupation of public roads and have not infringed it.
Roselló recalled that the rate has not been collected while the premises have been closed and that it will only be settled from the date they begin to occupy the public highway and depending on the actual occupation they do, that is, the tables they take out on the street. In the cases of establishments that have already made the payment, the City Council will recalculate the rate so that they end up paying only what corresponds to them.
The councilor reiterated that the City of Dénia will not abolish the fee, but has chosen to give aid to payment, first of all "because we are talking about the public space, which belongs to all citizens, and the City Council has an obligation to have tools for its management and proper use, and that tool is ordinances and fees". And more now, Roselló has added, "when the priority objective is to guarantee safety and that regulatory distances are maintained for the benefit of citizens".
In addition, the suppression of the rate would generate a comparative grievance with those establishments that already have the occupancy license requested, since the bonuses cannot have retroactive effect and could not benefit. Exempting from the occupation payment would also generate inequalities with the premises that do not have terraces.
Lastly, yesterday's meeting also discussed other measures that the City Council is working to help the hospitality sector, such as aid for paying for garbage or receiving water.
In the interdepartmental commission next week, a first draft of the regulations for aid to the occupation of public roads will be presented so that the attendees (spokesmen for the Corporation's political groups, members of the government team and technical personnel of the City Council) know and can start making contributions.
