Am I being cynical?

There is no doubt that much of the money that comes from Alicante is used to make real improvements to the town that benefit many. 

The allotments in the middle of our estate were meant to provide local people with outdoor space to grow produce for the table. 

Out of the twenty plots created, no more than ten look to be taken up. 

We said at the time that it was unlikely that people in the town would want to come up to the estate to grow a few lettuce and some tomatoes. It probably costs more to grow the produce than to buy it at the market especially when you factor in the fuel needed to drive up here and back to tend the crops.

Of course, there is more to growing your own vegetables than saving money, There is the satisfaction of achieving something, the healthy exercise that gardening provides and the improved flavour of fresh food picked that day. 

The town has now had a further tranche of money for this project and has put up signs*, LED solar lighting and a table with benches** where the growers could have a picnic. 

In my opinion, spending thousands of euros to benefit many makes sense, spending the same to benefit just a handful doesn't. 

* the signs are there to encourage people to grow a diversity of crops and to justify the project. 

**why is that picnic bench there? In my experience, Spaniards never eat out in the open, they look for shade