The department of citizen participation at Sitges Town Council has launched a free Mediation Service available to the public, with the aim of ‘improving co-existence and a more cohesive society’.
Mediation is a process in which people, voluntarily and through dialogue, can seek satisfactory agreements that allow them to resolve their conflicts with the support of a mediator who acts impartially.
The council’s aim is to opt for a free system for resolving conflicts or disagreements through ‘dialogue, respect and responsibility between the parties’, as set out in the Municipal Action Plan.
Conflicts can arise within neighbourhoods, communities, schools, associations and families, through breaches of contract, economic activities and disputes over the use of public spaces, for example, or on issues related to noise, pets, air conditioning, dampness or civil behaviour, among other issues.
However, the council’s mediation service will not intervene in conflicts of separation and divorce, nor in disputes where the council is involved as one of the parties. The mediation service will also not be involved with commercial or consumer disputes, nor with issues of gender violence or where legal proceedings are already active.
The local councillor for citizen participation, Elisabeth Pérez, said: ‘We are committed to mediation because it is a solution that is based on dialogue and agreed between the parties involved and, in addition, it reduces bureaucratic processes and the time it takes to resolve them. The goal is for both parties to appreciate the agreement and the solution as satisfactory.’
Under the slogan ‘Do you have a conflict and don’t know how to resolve it? We help you’, the council has published posters and leaflets in four languages to inform citizens about the new mediation service.
The service is free and is located in the municipal offices on Carrer Major, on the corner with Plaça de l’Ajuntament, and you can also attend the OAC office in the town or the OAC in Les Botigues. The mediator carries out the service two days a week: Wednesday and Thursday from 9am to 2pm and 3pm to 8pm.
To access the service, one of the parties involved must request it and also request an appointment via email at mediacio@sitges.cat or by telephone on: (+34) 603 850 967. The mediator will then contact the different parties to assess the viability of the process of mediation.
The mediation service is a project promoted by Sitges Town Council and has the collaboration of the Barcelona Provincial Council.
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