ARCHIVED - New local population figures show 22% fewer British in Murcia

The decrease in Costa Cálida Brits is due to a review in calculation methods not a mass exodus

Due to a tightening up of the procedures by which municipal population figures are reached on the part of Spain’s central statistics unit, the “Padrón” figures related to non-Spanish residents in each of Spain’s 8,118 municipalities have been reviewed, and the results are quite significant.

The figures related to 1st January 2014 show that there were just over 5 million non-Spaniards inscribed on the Padrón, a fall of over half a million compared to twelve months previously, and the rate of decline in terms of UK nationals was even steeper: from 385,179 on 1st January 2013 the number suddenly dropped by 22% to 300,286 a year later.

In the Region of Murcia the picture is, broadly speaking, a similar one: from 22,500 in 2013 the official number of UK residents has abruptly dropped by 22% to 17,458, with the figures falling in almost all of the 45 municipalities in the Region. In Mazarrón almost a third has been knocked off the total of UK nationals (5,165 as opposed to 7,526), and in most of the other areas with numerous British expats similar drastic falls appear: in Cartagena there are now almost 25% fewer Brits (2,809), in Los Alcázares and San Javier numbers have fallen by a third to 1,011 and 886 respectively, and in Fuente Álamo, San Pedro del Pinatar and Lorca the story is the same.

As mentioned above, this is not due to a sudden mass exodus by the British (and other nationalities) during 2013, but to a tightening up of the way in which municipalities report their populations. Those who have gone “missing” from the totals are mostly people who had previously registered on the Padrón, possibly when buying a property, but who since then have either never taken up residence full-time in Murcia or have left and failed to cancel their registration on the lists.

In this way the totals have been “cleaned up”, although on the other hand there will also be others who do indeed live in the Region of Murcia all year but have never felt the need to register on the Padrón. As a result it’s impossible to calculate exactly what the true number of British residents in the Costa Cálida is.

Amid the figures included on the Padrón one or two stand out, particularly the municipalities of Torre Pacheco, Murcia, Pliego, Caravaca de la Cruz, Alcantarilla and Blanca. These are the only six areas of Murcia where the number of British residents increased between 2013 and 2014, although the increase from 8 to 15 in Alcantarilla is not significant to the same degree that the others may be.

In Torre Pacheco more new-build properties are continuing to be handed over, with the result that more expats are registering at the Town Hall, while in the other areas, particularly the regional capital, those who register as residents are in general more likely to be genuinely living here than those in coastal areas.

Special mention also goes to the municipality of Lorquí, where the number of UK nationals registered has fallen from three to just one.

Although every association constantly reinforces the importance of registering on the padrón it cannot be stressed enough how much this matters: Murcia is constantly viewed as a poor cousin to other areas of Spain as our expat population is so low compared to other areas of the country. Just this week the British Ambassador and British Consul spent 2 days in the neighbouring Alicante Province, and one token Mayor from Mazarrón participated in a meeting of Mayors with larger numbers of expats held in Torrevieja. The former British Consul always maintained that resources are allocated according to the volume of population.....which explains why Alicante is always the focal point of attention and Murcia is off the radar.

If we don´t register on the padrón then we remain little more than yapping dogs who are constantly ignored by our councils: does your council print information in English for the benefit of its foreign residents?

And it really matters when it comes to important subjects such as health care, education, roads, public services, all of the things which affect all of us. If we don´t inform our councils that we live there then we have no right to complain when services aren´t up to scratch because our councils are not receiving the funding they are entitled to from central government to service the needs of their expat communities. And if we’re not on the padrón then we can´t vote and have no means of contributing positively to making change happen.

So if you’re not on the padrón, get registered at your local town hall, and if you’re leaving Spain, make sure you tell the authorities you’re going so your name can be removed from the municipal register.
 

Image: Residents of San Pedro del Pinatar participating in the carnival parade last year