The rubbish collection charge in Vélez-Málaga will remain in place for now after the Andalusian High Court dismissed a PSOE appeal against the municipality’s waste-management regulations. The ruling does not decide a separate legal challenge to the by-law that sets the charge itself.
The appeal was brought by Víctor González, the PSOE’s spokesperson on the Vélez-Málaga council, against the final approval of the local by-law on public cleanliness and the comprehensive management of urban solid waste. The court’s decision is dated 7 October.
The judgment rules out overturning that particular by-law through this case. It is therefore an initial setback for the socialists’ broader effort to contest the municipal waste arrangements, but it does not settle the dispute over the collection charge.
A separate case challenging the tax by-law remains pending. Until that challenge is resolved, the high court’s decision on the waste-management regulations does not remove the legal basis for collecting the charge.
The ruling comes amid strong local opposition to the fee. A public protest took place in Vélez-Málaga on 7 October, and the controversy preceded the resignation of mayor Jesús Lupiáñez, of the PP, on 14 October.
The practical position for residents is unchanged by this judgment: the charge continues to be collected while the separate tax case awaits a decision. No outcome or timetable for that pending case is provided in the available information.