Mediaboss Marketing

A TV documentary has revealed the extent to which expats in Spain are struggling during the eurozone crisis, with social services and local charities overwhelmed with demand for help

Andrew Sinclair, the BBC political correspondent for East Anglia, spoke to expats living on the Costa Blanca for BBC One's Sunday Politics show, and found that locals are struggling to cope in the recession, due to the pound's depressed value against the euro.

“It struck me there has been a lot of reporting in the UK about the impact ongoing euro crisis is having on holiday businesses and British businesses in general,” Mr Sinclair said. “We have found there is some real hardship out there.”

He told Roundtown News, a local freesheet newspaper, that expats were keen to point out they were not “stinking rich”, a common misconception of Brits living in Spain.

"A lot of people we spoke to were very much working class they didn’t have large fortunes to bring to Spain but felt they could do better for themselves than just living on a council estate," Mr Sinclair said.

While the continued eurozone crisis raises the possibility of an expat exodus from certain areas of Spain, many Brits plan to stay in the area. Property sales are sluggish, as a glut of new build properties in some areas is keeping demand and prices low, while others are unable to return for health reasons. Many are determined to stick it out and hope for an improvement in the economic situation, rather than trade Spanish sunshine for a return to the UK.

"The overall feeling is everyone is having to tighten their belts, mainly because Spain has long ceased to be a cheap place to live," said Jack Troughton of Roundtown News. "Utilities (Santiago: UTILITIES.SN - news) , particularly electricity and gas, continue to rise while extra tax has been put on petrol and diesel, the price already rising because of the fall in the value of the euro."

Some people with money in Spanish banks have started to repatriate their money while younger expats are looking for cash-in-hand work to bridge the gap. Older Britons are relying on an over-stretched social services or charity handouts.

"The British community is doing wonderful work through charities and the charity shops that are found along the whole of the coast," Mr Troughton said. "These help not only British expats but immigrants from across Europe (Chicago Options: ^REURUSD - news) and Latin America who hoped to build a new life here.

"The British consulates are also actively campaigning to help integrate expats and ensure they have access to the town hall facilities and social services they are entitled to receive."

The Sunday Politics Show East is on BBC One, Sundays from 11am.

See the article here:
Financial hardship taking its toll on Britons in Spain