Benidorm’s Town Hall has announced the re-allocation of €214,000 to families suffering financially by the ongoing COVID-19 health situation.

The funds were initially destined for the local associations that organise Benidorm’s annual November Fiestas Mayores Patronales.

But after the cancellation of these fiestas in 2020, the associations that organise parades and floats all agreed to renounce their allocated money.

Benidorm mayor Toni Pérez also announced that ‘mutual agreement’ led to the shift of funds from November Fiestas.

Pérez added an extra €286,000 would be ‘injected’ in from Town Hall coffers to help ‘soften the economic and social effects’ of the COVID-19 crisis.

“This City Council will do everything possible and impossible, sparing no effort and resources, so that all requests that meet the requirements of aid are satisfied this year, injecting money into the homes of Benidorm that need it most,” Toni Pérez told reporters.

According to the figures provided by the mayor, 6,135 applications have been received this year, of which more than 4,100 have already been processed, about 70% of those submitted for aid.

To date, 1,953 grants have been granted and 206 resources have been estimated, bringing the applications approved to 2,159.

In addition, there are about a thousand applications already evaluated, which will be resolved almost ‘automatically’ as soon as the budget bringing the new €500,000 is approved in the council.

In total, the Town Hall estimated the aid will eventually reach about 4,000 people, who depending on their situation will receive a total of €750, €900 or €1,050 euros in three monthly instalments.