When the sun loungers and parasols finally appear on Puerto Pollensa's beach, what will the political parties find to be at loggerheads over? The beach, the pedestrianisation, they have both provided fertile opportunities for clashes, notably between the main ruling Junts and the main opposition Tots.
It was Tots who were the first ones to raise the alarm about delay to the pedestrianisation work (before Christmas), and they have been right to draw attention to various failures. But one of their latest wheezes had the distinct sense of scraping the barrel about it. Why use Trip Advisor comments from mid-March and mid-April to raise an alarm over a harmful impact on holiday reservations to Puerto Pollensa when the work had finished and we were heading towards the end of May? Junts fired back by posting several glowing Trip Advisor comments on to their Facebook page. Touché. It was all a bit silly.
Then we have the beaches. Ah yes, the beaches. Tots were being accused of deliberately finding means of delaying the tender award. Here, though, they were on firmer ground. There had been no authorisation from the Costas Authority for the new specifications the town hall wanted to introduce, and the seeking of this authorisation had started some three months after it should have. The town hall did get things wrong, whatever might be said about the Tots apparent delaying tactics.
Anyway, yesterday the news came through that authorisation had been received. The period for renewed bidding for the tender will end on 30 May. The sun loungers should start appearing soon after. Probably.
In the meantime, though, such has been the situation that Puerto Pollensa visitors have been contemplating going to Alcudia, where everything beach-wise is harmonious and installed. And also spare a thought for the tour operators and their representatives. My sources tell me that reps in Puerto Pollensa have been having a nightmare. First it was the rubble, noise and inconvenience of the pedestrianisation. Then it was the absence of the sun loungers. It's hardly their fault, but the clientele has not been happy.
Two other parties - the Alternativa and the Puerto Pollensa party (Unió Mollera Pollencina, UMP) - have been striving for there to be calmness. The UMP, accepting that there have been mistakes (it is part of the ruling administration), has called for differences to be set aside and for everyone to work together. The Alternativa has said much the same thing, believing that there needs to be greater goodwill. It wants a board of party spokespeople to come together and discuss issues in the port.
For the record, the Costas' authorisation runs until 2019, so this should mean no delays to services at least until then. The arrangements for the sun lounger sets will result in there being more free beach space, while there is also to be a centre for the disabled.