Benidorm Town Council has initiated disciplinary proceedings against the concessionaire Telpark Benidorm S.L., the manager of the municipal car parks in Tomás Ortuño, Mercado and Ametlla de Mar, after discovering that the company had been applying rates higher than those officially approved for two months. The decision follows a complaint made during a plenary session by the municipal socialist group, who pointed out that the company was charging higher amounts than those being reviewed.
According to a report by the head of the Contracting and Property Department, the company independently applied the Consumer Price Index (RPI) update from June 2025 to the current 2024 tariff, alongside a 20 per cent summer season surcharge. The document notes that whilst the RPI adjustment is technically correct, the company must not formally apply it until the competent body, the municipal plenary council, grants its official authorisation.
The local authority in Benidorm has also rejected the 20 per cent increase implemented by Telpark, stating that the concessionaire relied on a 2006 plenary agreement layout which established two six-month seasons. Instead, they should have followed the framework approved on 29 August 2024, which reduced the summer season to a three-month period running from 21 June to 21 September, in accordance with the 2010 Car Parks Regulations.
The issue came to light during a plenary meeting where the official tariff review was due to be approved. Following the objection raised by the PSOE, the matter was suspended until the situation could be clarified. The local council noted that it had already informed the concessionaire on 25th May 2026 of its obligation to maintain the 2024 pricing structure until new authorisation is granted.
The penalty proceedings are based on Article 29 of the Specific Administrative Clauses Specifications, which classifies the collection of rates not yet authorised by the competent authority as an offence. For a first infraction, the planned fine is calculated by multiplying the total number of operational spaces by half the current price of a one-hour stay.
Furthermore, Benidorm Town Council has ordered Telpark to refund all users who were overcharged during the timeframe in which the unauthorised rates were in place.
The decree, signed by the Mayor, Antonio Pérez, allows the company a period of ten working days to present objections and provide precise details on the number of spaces currently in operation. It also names Torregrosa as the case investigator and Daniel Ramos Bautista as secretary.
The opening of these disciplinary proceedings takes place whilst the approval for the rate review requested by the concessionaire on 19th January 2026 remains pending, a request which also included a proposal for a new night-time tariff that was not processed.
