Alex Trelinski
BENIDORM will sanction owners of illegal tourist accommodation lets in addition to running existing inspection teams.
It follows Valencia City as only the second municipality in the region to do so, with Benidorm City Council approving the move on Monday.
Locally-originated fine collections could start within a fortnight, with the money staying in the city, rather than going to the Valencian government.
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Benidorm council spokesperson, Lourdes Caselles, said that regional tourist laws approved in 2018 allowed for individual municipalities to carry out inspections as well as collecting penalties from transgressors.
It’s believed that council inspectors and Policia Local officers will be drafted in to oversee the operation amidst criticism that staff will be diverted from other duties.
Caselles confirmed Policia Local resources will be increased to cover extra responsibilities.
She added that the authority will have to ‘produce a quarterly report over inspections and money raised’.
