After its first aid plan to reactivate the local economy after the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the OREA Plan, Mijas launched in April, last year, its second aid plan. 415 self-employed and family businesses are already receiving aid from the Employment line of the Aid Plan for Retail Trade, Tourism Enterprises, Hotel and Catering Trade and Self-Employed in Mijas, known as Plan Cometha, which also included a Tourism line. This was announced on Thursday 27th, by the Mayor, Josele González (PSOE), and the Councillor for Employment Promotion, Laura Moreno (PSOE), who highlighted the economic support that this aid of up to 6,000 euros, depending on the number of workers, means for the beneficiaries.

In total, more than one and a half million euros are being allocated, according to the First Councillor, “to prevent the closure of businesses and family businesses of 415 beneficiaries, in addition to the 3,500 of the OREA Plan. “On this occasion, Cometha has gone more closely to those people who were having the worst time; in fact, one of the essential requirements was to have at least a 30 per cent reduction in income compared to 2019”. The Councillor explained that, “fortunately, many family businesses have not met this requirement, which means that they have recovered their turnover and have been able to redirect their employment situation, demonstrating that the first line of aid had the desired effect”.

For the Mayor, these two local aid schemes “demonstrate the special sensitivity that this Town Council has had with its self-employed and family businesses”. “We have managed, in a very short time, two important and unprecedented lines of subsidies in our municipality, that have served as a model for other municipalities both in Malaga and Andalusia, placing Mijas and the entire Mijas business sector in an advantageous position to get out of this crisis. It is going to be noticeable throughout 2022” added González. 

Hurt by the crisis
85% of the applicants will receive aid from this line of the Cometha Plan. Generally, they are small traders who were focused on the tourism sector and who have been seriously affected by the pandemic, such as taxi drivers, restaurants and bars, market staff and travel agencies. However, there are also other sectors on the list, such as stationers and hardware stores,” added Moreno, who highlighted the rapid processing of this plan. 

“In record time, in less than a month and a half, we are already granting this aid. It should be remembered that the deadline for submitting applications ended last November, and right now, our self-employed and family businesses are already receiving this aid, which is going to be an oxygen pump before Easter, when we hope to receive more tourists and, therefore, it will reactivate our economy”.

The Mayor wanted to thank “the commitment and effort” of the Department of Employment Promotion and his Councillor for making possible the OREA Plan and the Cometha Plan: “it is the first time, that this type of aid is given in the municipality of Mijas, in its entire history, and we have had to innovate a lot,” concluded the Mayor of Mijas.

 

A plan that comes “as a godsend”
Taxi drivers, street vendors, the self-employed in the hotel and catering industry and neighbourhood businesses are among the 415 beneficiaries of this line of aid from the Cometha Plan. Antonio Rodríguez, from El Quijote bookshop and stationer’s in Las Lagunas, is one of the beneficiaries. He says that, given the consequences of the crisis, he did not hesitate to apply for this municipal Grant. “This year, when I heard that this new aid was available, I applied for it and three days ago I received it, and it has come to me like a godsend”, said the self-employed man on Thursday 27th. Rodríguez emphasised that, thanks to this aid,  he will be able to continue with the business “because with this, at least, I can cover many necessary daily expenses.

 

The health crisis also hit Yolanda Puerto, a taxi driver in Mijas for the last three years. If 2020 was a difficult year for this sector, 2021 was not far behind either. “The only good months were July and August”, said this driver, who also recognises that this aid has meant a financial respite, both for her and for the rest of her colleagues who have also joined this municipal programme, “because during the year we have many expenses, such as, insurance, the Radio Taxi fee, the vehicles... this subsidy is very good for us, especially now that we have started the year at a standstill”.

 

Ramón García, the owner of the restaurant El Compás, is another businessman from Mijas, who has already received this financial aid. “We have just received the money and we know how it will be spent; In fact, we urgently need to renovate some kitchen appliances,” said García, adding that “in the bar we work between 5 and 7 people, depending on the season, and we have a lot of work to do. we depend a lot on tourists to run the business and pay the salaries.”. This hotel and catering businessman also says that “without this help from the City Council, we wouldn’t have been able to keep our business open”.

 

With a regular staff of 22 people, the Miel y Nata restaurant in Calahonda,has also benefited from this aid scheme. 6,000 euros that will go to “pay down my debts, it is a help so everything can go better,” said Francisco Javier López, Manager of Miel y Nata, who is grateful to the Mijas Town Hall for the initiative. “We are happy with the Town Hall, we also received the OREA Plan, and we are grateful for this support”, López underlined. This family restaurant, which has a long history and is located next to the dog park, has a loyal clientele, which has helped it, said López, to keep its doors open during the crisis.

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