Fears for the tourism season among residents in Playa de Palma are already being realised. The president of the residents' association in Arenal, Biel Barceló, says that there have been no changes. The new season is exactly like previous ones and marked by drunkenness, illegal street selling, massage women on the beach, and the three-cup game tricksters.
"Absolutely nothing has been done to improve the situation," he notes, adding that away from the beach front line there is neglect. Residents, he observes, are more sceptical than ever about actions being taken by the town halls in Palma and Llucmajor. "We can't do much more," he explains. "Everything we have tried in the past has come to nothing."
The association president anticipates even less attention from Palma when Antoni Noguera becomes mayor. Noguera's party, Més, got the least number of votes in Playa de Palma at the 2015 election. Noguera and Més, he believes, will play to their gallery and follow their electoral programme.
Barceló's disenchantment with politicians was reinforced when the association was excluded from the Playa de Palma monitoring commission "without warning". There have been various meetings regarding projects in the area but residents' associations haven't been invited. He adds that the relationship with the councillor who is responsible for Playa de Palma, Helena Paquier, is non-existent.