Castalla acquires a van for social and educational transport for 37,980 euros

• The association Despertar, which is managed by the Department of Social Services, will be in charge of using the new vehicle

Castalla Town Hall, through the Department of Social Services, has acquired a van with the aim of providing transport services in the social and educational field for a total amount of 37,980.39 euros. In this sense, the Town Council has clarified that the management of the van will be carried out by the Despertar association, which works to improve the quality of life of people with physical, mental and sensory disabilities in Castalla and the region.

The Councillor in charge of Social Services, Maite Gimeno, stated that this is “a necessary and essential service for the municipality of Castalla, which allows us to support the environment of people with functional diversity in terms of family reconciliation and to help students in Castalla who have specific learning needs”.

The new van will thus fulfil a double function. On the one hand, it will be used to transport people with functional diversity or Alzheimer’s disease on the return journey between the centre where they carry out their activities and their respective residences. On the other hand, the vehicle also fulfils an educational objective, in the transfer of Castilian students who, for different reasons, need special education outside the town.

The Councillor for Social Services explained that “the new van is adapted and has nine seats for people with reduced mobility”. The Social Welfare department has considered it necessary to renew the vehicle, after the van they used until now has completed around 18 years of service, so it was obsolete and no longer ensured the best benefits for this purpose.

However, it will be the Despertar Association who will make use of this means of transport, in accordance with what has been signed with the Consistory in the annual agreement between the association and the administration. However, the councillor responsible, Maite Gimeno, has clarified that “despite this delegated use, the municipal administration can decide whether the vehicle is also used for other purposes if necessary”.