The Association of Businessmen of Arrecife Zona Centro, integrated in the Interisland Federation of SMEs, Felapyme, will denounce before the Prosecutor's Office the City Council of Arrecife and its mayor, Cándido Reguera, for "systematically violating the regulatory Law of street vending or non-sedentary in relation to the celebration of street markets in the municipality." According to what they have explained through a statement, the Law of Regulation of Commercial Activity of the Canary Islands and the State Commerce Law establish that the City Councils must, by means of a municipal ordinance, establish a "single day a week for the celebration of their street market."
"The Arrecife City Council violates the legality by approving a municipal ordinance regulating the street market and tourist activities," according to this association, from where they have recalled that the City Council has allowed the development of a street market in the José Ramírez Cerdá Park on Wednesdays and Thursdays, that is, two days a week.
"Not only does it establish two days, skipping the Law with said ordinance, but it also sponsors the celebration of another street market, the so-called "tourist" one, on Saturdays in the historic center of the capital. To these three street markets, others are added that the mayor arranges and promotes before the occasional arrival of cruise passengers that usually takes place on Fridays with a certain periodicity. Therefore, it is allowed irregularly and uncontrolled, at least four street markets in Arrecife", they have denounced.
The Association of Businessmen of Arrecife Zona Centro has been denouncing this situation "irregular, allowed and promoted" by the mayor of Arrecife, Cándido Reguera, since November 2009, "without obtaining any response or solution." "He approves an ordinance decreeing two official days and as many others as the mayor's office considers, such as Saturdays or Fridays," the group has criticized.
"This situation is putting local merchants in serious trouble who are especially suffering the serious consequences of the crisis, and which affects more than 3,000 workers and families who live in Arrecife from the commercial sector. Irregular activity that is also being promoted and used propagandistically by the mayor," they pointed out from this association.
No inspections
Likewise, the Association of Businessmen of Arrecife Zona Centro has also denounced that the City Council is promoting this activity, putting all the infrastructure and logistics of the local Consistory, "without any type of inspection or quality control and identification, of compliance with schedules or sanitary registration of the food products that are marketed in the street stalls."
For this reason and given the failure of the conversations, writings, and collection of signatures from merchants and neighbors sent to the City Council, the Association of Businessmen of Arrecife Zona Centro has decided to denounce before the Prosecutor's Office the City Council of Arrecife, and by extension its highest representative, the mayor, Cándido Reguera, "for systematically violating the legality of street vending and for promoting, allowing and promoting with the means of the City Council an irregular activity and without the pertinent sanitary and regulatory inspections."