Opposition parties at Palma Town Hall are highly critical of the regulations regarding motorhome use in Mayor Martínez's revised civic ordinance. They believe these amount to "persecution" of citizens, Neus Truyol of Més saying: "The Partido Popular talk about freedom but apply repression. The only things in the ordinance are sanctions."
Xisco Ducrós of PSOE argues that the PP are not addressing the housing problem. "They are sanctioning those people who cannot afford to rent or buy a home and have to live in a motorhome."
Following the mayor's presentation of the updated ordinance on Wednesday, Truyol observed that even people with incomes are choosing to live in motorhomes and caravans due to the situation with the housing market. The ordinance "criminalises" them. She added that some of the text is "very generic" and that the police will have to deal with the interpretation.
In those parts of Palma that have become small settlements for motorhomes, the announcement went down badly. By the Son Hugo swimming pools there are some fifty motorhomes, caravans and vans. "If they don't let us stay here, where are we going to go? Is the mayor going to let us have a room in his house?" asked Begoña.
"We're not here by choice, although we do feel protected. We've become like a family. We all know each other and we help each other. We don't bother anyone. We're going to have to take action. Where are we going to go, Mr Mayor? We'll see you on the streets."
Ezequiel also spoke about taking action. "Like blocking the Avenidas or turning up at a council plenary session so that they have to listen to us. The mayor is not going to come here. If we can't sleep in caravans, they'll have to give us an alternative. Otherwise, where will we go?"
He accepts that "we have everything to lose", but like some others at Son Hugo Ezequiel wonders if anything will come of the ordinance in the end. A Podemos councillor, Lucía Muñoz, pointed out on Wednesday that the ordinance is "a carbon copy" of one that a previous PP mayor, Mateu Isern, once sought to introduce. That was overturned by the courts.
Miguel, who is a general handyman for other dwellers at Son Hugo, shares Ezequiel's view. "I don't think they will get it through. But whatever, we only ask that they respect us. The mayor should come and sleep here for a week."