Pilar continues cost cutting..

The City Council in Pilar has cut the budget for the upcoming fiesta by fifty percent because they still have last year's debt to cover. More than 120,000 euros was spent on festivities in 2010, including concerts, fiestas, parades, decorative lights and fireworks. As part of the cutbacks, the next planned fiesta will begin a week later than usual, have 60 percent less decorative lighting and the main event will be focused on a single night which includes the election of the carnival Queen and her coronation. Grants to associations will also be halved to keep much need funds in the municipal coffers. Even the parade floats are not safe from the cutbacks suffering a slash of 15 percent in prizes.

The upcoming festivities planned for 12th October will see a saving of more than 11,000 euros on lighting alone and the whole celebration has been organised within a budget of just 3,600 euros, a huge saving on the same event held last year.

Councillor Francisco Javier Lara (PP), responsible for fiestas, said: "Our City Council must still pay for part of the festivities from last year., a cost that has been left by the PSOE administration. For this reason we have been left with no choice but to change the traditions. The savings we make to this years fiesta schedule will help pay for this years celebrations and also try to pay the providers of services hired last year, a debt left to us by the previous government team."

Some of those enforced changes include holding the election and coronation of the Queen of the Festival, which traditionally been done in two consecutive weekends, on the same night. This special event will now be held 1st October and will, in itself, save more than 15,000 euros.

Subsidies to associations are also to be reduced by up to 50 percent. Traditionally groups, associations and acts have all been paid to participate. This year these will receive 15 percent less in municipal financial assistance.

The councillor concluded: "We are confident that the residents of Pilar will understand the austerity with which we have been left no choice but to act on this issue. We do this cost cutting for a number of reasons, because there is a huge financial crisis and burden in the country, but also because this City is in debt and is the first major issue that we, as the new administration have to address and solve." "The Coastrider."