Benidorm fines Telpark just 703€ for charging unauthorised rates in three public car parks

The local council in Benidorm has resolved the disciplinary proceedings opened against Telpark Benidorm S.L. for applying unauthorised rates at the Mercado Municipal, Tomás Ortuño, and Ametlla de Mar public car parks. The local authority has imposed a fine of 703.28 euro on the concessionaire for breaching contract conditions, whilst reiterating the firm’s obligation to refund overcharged amounts to users.

Signed by the mayor’s office, the sanctioning resolution considers it proven that Telpark applied a price revision before it had been authorised by the competent municipal body. The investigation also identified the application of a 20% summer season increase during unauthorised periods as an infraction, an issue corrected during Monday’s full council meeting.

Proceedings began via a mayoral decree on 1st June, following an analysis by municipal services into the controversy surrounding price increases across the three car parks. Telpark submitted representations on 11th June, defending its actions by arguing a historical six-month summer season regime existed and that a formal request to update rates had been lodged.

The local council rejected these arguments. The municipality noted that the most recently approved rates established the summer season as running from 21st June to 22nd September, with the rest of the year running from 23rd September to 20th June. Municipal authorities emphasised that the concessionaire must apply currently valid rates and that any modification requires full council approval, meaning Telpark could not implement changes unilaterally.

Following the initial representations, the case investigator proposed a fine of 703.28 euro on 14th July alongside the requirement to refund overcharges. Telpark submitted no further representations during the subsequent hearing period. Consequently, the local council finalised the sanction and instructed the municipal treasury to process the corresponding settlement.

While the decree orders Telpark to reimburse affected drivers, it does not specify the total sum to be refunded or the exact number of customers impacted, leaving the exact reimbursement procedure to be detailed later. The fine calculation relies on Article 29 of the contract’s administrative clauses, which sets initial penalties based on the number of parking spaces and half the current hourly rate.

On Monday, Benidorm’s full council unanimously approved the official rate revision up to June 2026 for the affected car parks, incorporating a 3.20% inflation adjustment. Mobility councillor Francis Muñoz explained that the per-minute rate rises by 0.001 euro to 0.0377 euro, with a daily maximum capped at 22.62 euro. Monthly daytime passes will cost 156.38 euro, full-time monthly passes reach 201.06 euro, and full-time annual passes stand at 2,010.58 euro. The council also ratified that the 20% summer rate increase only applies between 21st June and 22nd September, requiring a minimum 20% reduction during the remainder of the year.