Torrevieja returns €615,000 plus interest in social aid to the Generalitat

The Valencian Regional Government gave the Torrevieja City Council two funds to help with the needs of its Social Services department in 2023 and 2024, but they had to give them back. The total amount to be paid back is €615,450, which includes €32,700 in interest for late payments. The money was set aside for the Specific Primary Care Service for people with chronic mental health disorders (SASEM) and the Social Inclusion Pathways Implementation Programme.

People who are weak

The biggest resolution is the 2023 Social Inclusion Pathways Implementation Program, which the City Council asked for. It takes the cut for not using public funds and gives back €325,278. The entire amount is €303,750, which is the grant’s principal, plus €21,528, which is the interest that has built up. This will be paid with public funds because the Social Services department took too long to process the return. The Alicante Territorial Directorate of Social Services sent out the payback request in November 2025 as part of the 2021–2024 programme contract.

The Ministry of Equality and Inclusive Policies says that this initiative includes making personalised plans for those who are at danger of or are already socially excluded. Its goal is to bring together resources from the city and the region to make it easier for people to get jobs, housing, and healthcare. It also encourages users to take an active role in their own inclusion process. The Valencian Regional Government gave the Torrevieja City Council two grants to help pay for the demands of its Social Services department in 2023 and 2024. However, the council had to give the money back. The total amount to be paid back is €615,450, which includes €32,700 in interest for late payments. The money was set aside for the Social Inclusion Pathways Implementation Program and the Specific Primary Care Service for people with chronic mental health disorders (SASEM) run by the Valencian Regional Government.

Mental Health

The second return is €290,171, which is meant to pay back the Specific Primary Care Service for adults with persistent mental health disorders (SASEM) for the 2024 fiscal year. The main sum is €279,000, and the interest is €11,171. The case file shows that the Department of Social Welfare sent a report about not providing the service during that time.

This service provides specialised community care for people with long-term mental health problems, as required by the Generalitat’s Inclusive Social Services rules. The goal of the programme is to protect people’s independence and help them fit in with society by giving them psychosocial support in their normal surroundings, which keeps them from being isolated in an institution. For many years, the Torrevieja City Council has had to deal with the problem of having to give back a lot of public money since the social services couldn’t handle it.

Not enough demand and not enough resources

This is happening because the municipality thought there would be more applicants based on its demographics and a preliminary research done before anyone applied for the programme. In Torrevieja, nevertheless, this is not true for programmes that help disadvantaged people or mental health treatment, where resources are quite limited. For instance, foundations and specialised companies that help with mental health care get money from the government and have a waiting list. The biggest problem with satisfying the demand is that there aren’t enough trained workers in the Social Services field. It is quite hard to reach individuals who need it without these staff.

The social services department is very important in every city, and the Torrevieja City Council has made it stronger since the beginning of 2025, when the situation with social services got worse since there weren’t enough resources. The Generalitat, which is the regional government of Catalonia, is in charge of social services. The regional government, on the other hand, gives some of these duties to the municipalities and pays for the staff and other resources they need.

Habitual

It’s not just Torrevieja that has unused funding in the area of social services. In numerous towns in the Valencian Community, this happens a lot. The Torrevieja City Council will pay back a lot of money, which is unusual, and taxpayers will have to pay late payment interest on the money that is not paid back on time. The Mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolon (P.P.) had previously said that he doesn’t believe in hand outs and people should work for their money.