The Office of Interior of the Consell de Formentera is pleased to report that lifeguards will begin surveilling the beaches of Formentera from 1 May and will continue until 31 October. The interior councillor pointed out that Consell de Formentera funds the lifeguard service with its own resources, and wished lifeguards a good season.

1 May to 1 June, eleven members of staff and a coordinator will ensure safety on local beaches. Fifteen additional lifeguards will come on duty in June, bringing the total number of staff to 26 until the end of September. In October, the team will again be reduced to 11 staff and the coordinator.

Until 22 May, the Consell de Formentera is accepting applications to fill ten lifeguard positions. Interested parties can register here.

These days the lifeguards are taking refresher courses on rescue techniques covering common tasks like resuscitation in order to be prepared in case of emergency.

In low season, in May and October, Ses Illetes, Llevant and Es Arenals will all be lifeguarded. In high season, i.e. June, July, August and September, lifeguarded beaches will also include Es Trucadors, Es Tanga, Es Pujols, Cala Saona and Es Caló.

Adapted and heart-healthy beaches
The beaches of Es Arenals and Es Pujols offer adapted swim options for people with reduced mobility. The service is provided from 12 noon to 5.00pm when the green flag flies. In Es Arenals, this service is provided from 1 May to 31 October, and in Es Pujols, from 1 June to 30 September. To publicise this service, new signs with information and schedules have been installed.

All lifeguard stations are equipped with a defibrillator for possible cases of cardiorespiratory arrest.

New information video
Sea conditions can be consulted at www.platgesdebalears.com. In a first this year, the Consell de Formentera has edited put together video to highlight this information to residents and visitors. The video can be seen at the ferry companies, as well as in the social media of the Consell de Formentera and Office of Tourism.

29 April 2022
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

Local decision-makers began the April plenary session of the Consell de Formentera by selecting polling station attendants for the local and regional elections of 28 May 2023. The lottery was carried out with a computer programme that selected 330 people from the census. This list includes the chairpersons of the polling stations and voting officers as well as alternates. Now, the Consell de Formentera will send the list to the Central Electoral Board for ratification and, afterwards, the selected individuals will be notified.

Awarding the new waste contract
The GxF and PSOE cabinet overcame opposition abstention to award the Prezero company with the mixed contract for waste collection and transport services, street and beach cleaning, conservation and maintenance of green areas and operation of Formentera's civic amenities site. The eight-year contract, extendable for another two years, was approved for €28,233,965.12 (VAT included). Antoni Tur, environment councillor, described it as "a long-awaited and very necessary contract for Formentera. The previous contract had been extended for too long and this new one will improve the service offered to islanders and those who visit us".

The new service will allow for various improvements, including new staff; new machinery with increased electric mobility; more pickup times; new measures to prevent overfilled containers; first-rate beach cleaning with more personnel and specific machinery; extending organics collection and the deposit-return system to the entire island; a larger budget for awareness campaigns; improvements at the civic amenity site; creation of a space where objects are prepared for reuse to foment the circular economy, and more.

Rules on language
Members of the plenary also unanimously endorsed rules for language use within the Consell de Formentera. As Raquel Guasch, language policies councillor, affirmed, "these rules will allow us to continue moving forward with language policies ensuring that the Catalan language maintains ground at home, in public, in the public administration and everywhere else". Guasch pointed out that, after initial approval for the rules was secured, "we sought comments from the public, associations and administrations, some of which have served to improve some specific points of the first draft. Now, this new set of rules gives us a mechanism to help us and facilitate policies that standardise our language".

Children's city
Decision-makers came together once again to agree to begin work to renew the Child-Friendly City seal, a petition which will now be sent to UNICEF. This distinction will guarantee UNICEF's support and collaboration to continually develop, improve and innovate policies for children and adolescents in our area. Formentera first obtained the seal in 2014. As Alejandra Ferrer, vice president, put it, the goal is for children and teens to enjoy their childhood and adolescence and develop their full potential by seeing their equal rights affirmed in social environments and communities.

Civil Guard Maritime Service
In the session the GxF-PSOE cabinet and Sa Unió representatives endorsed a cross-party proposal to request that the Civil Guard's Maritime Service and Maritime Rescue (Salvamento Marítimo) each station one boat on Formentera. This proposal will be sent to the Ministry of Interior to reiterate the request for a Maritime Service boat based on Formentera and ask the Ministry of Development to urgently designate a Formentera-based rapid intervention boat for Salvamento Marítimo.

Taxi fares
Plenary members once again came together to back a proposal from Rafael González, mobility councillor, for taxi fares in 2023. At the request of the Taxi Association of Formentera, councillors approved an economic study-supported change that will see taxi fares rise by 12.89%. The previous rate had been in place since 2019. The agreement must now be submitted to the Balearic ministry of mobility for approval. Councillor González said he hoped that rates could be updated by the start of summer.

Councillors overcame opposition abstention to pass an amendment to the fiscal ordinance regulating fees to use and provide services at municipal facilities. The change will primarily apply to an expansion of services offered at the Nautical Sports Centre (Centre d'Esports Nàutics).

Finally, Ana Juan, president and equality councillor, read an official proclamation approved by all the local political groups on International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, 17 May. President Juan called to mind the Consell's recent approval of the first Sexual, Family and Gender Diversity Plan, "a pioneering strategy in the Balearic Islands and a tool that serves to ensure equality for all communities". As Juan asserted, "we support and will keep supporting the voice of these individuals; neutral administrations side with the oppressors. This struggle is about being and loving freely, so it is all of our struggle".

28 April 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

The Office of the Elderly of the Consell de Formentera is pleased to report that the final instalment of this year's Open University for Older Adults (UOM Formentera) will take place this Friday. Ibiza-born historian and professor of art history Agatha Martínez will present "Expressionism and dadaism: female artists of the avant-garde" (Dones artistes d'avantguarda: expressionisme i dadaisme) at 5.00pm, 28 April, in La Mola's Casa del Poble.

UOM Formentera has brought seven lectures to older islanders in 2023, and Ana Juan, president and elderly councillor of the Consell de Formentera, underscored the "warm reception of featured topics and the series in general", which have taken place in senior centres across the island. Lectures are open to islanders aged 50 and up.

26 April 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

Today Alejandra Ferrer and Josep Marí, vice president/tourism councillor and interior councillor of the Consell de Formentera, respectively, and representatives of Formentera Local Police and Civil Guard, held an information meeting with representatives, intermediaries and agencies that work with residential holiday rentals.

Clause to curb parties
Taking advantage of the start of the tourist season, Vice President Ferrer described a clause available to owners of holiday rentals that prohibits nuisance activities, parties and over-occupancy and which can be downloaded from the Tourism Planning section of the Consell de Formentera website here.

As Ferrer pointed out, "this private document between landlord and tenant expressly prohibits any activity, particularly large parties, that generates discomfort, harm or damage to third parties or neighbours. The Consell created it to have an effective tool to halt illegal parties, promote positive coexistence and respect residents and visitors".

Visitor registry
At the meeting, members of the Civil Guard also reminded the public that they are required to keep a record of individuals staying in their lodgings. For the purpose of public safety, this data must be sent to a database of the Ministry of the Interior. Visit the registry here.

hospederias.guardiacivil.es
Seizing the opportunity to discuss the outlook for summer 2023, representatives of the local tourism sector underscored preliminary indications of a positive Easter holiday and strong summer reservations, as well as a trend towards an increasingly long season and low-season visits, which Vice President Ferrer summarised as "a positive outlook for summer 2023".

Attendees also agreed to create a list of rental homes and accommodations, as well as restaurants and complementary activities, which the Consell can publicise so that, as Ferrer affirmed, "visitors who want to come in low season can easily access the information".

24 April 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera