Most British residents in Spain don’t get a vote on Sunday November 29, yet the result could still reach their healthcare, rent and tax bills. With polls pointing to a possible PP and Vox majority, here’s what’s been said, what’s only speculation and what Madrid can’t change alone.

Healthcare comments target people without legal residence 

Healthcare is where the parties have said the most so far. Vox wants to remove the legal right to public healthcare for foreigners without legal residence. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said ‘irregular status cannot give rise to rights’, while PP MP Antonio Román said healthcare belongs to ‘those who abide by the law, pay their taxes and have legal residence’. Román added that emergency care would still be on the table.

However, those comments concern people without legal residence, and the report doesn’t say legal residents would be affected. 

The two parties aren’t identical on this though, as the PP voted against a Vox motion in April that would have tied migrants’ healthcare access to years of social security contributions. In regional deals in Extremadura and Aragón, PP and Vox agreed to review the cost of healthcare for foreign nationals, and not to exclude them. Vox has also made ‘national priority’ one of its three campaign themes, although its Estepona rally on Monday October 12 didn’t spell out what that would mean in practice. 

Rent caps and evictions could be rewritten

The snap election was called after PP and Vox voted down the government’s emergency housing measures. Now analysts expect a right-wing government to repeal parts of the Housing Law (Ley de Vivienda), which would remove rent caps, and say both parties have promised tougher and faster evictions.

That could cut both ways, with British landlords likely to gain and British tenants facing higher rents. These are the analysts’ predictions though, and not confirmed policy. 

Tax cuts are possible, but nothing is confirmed 

The same analysts say the PP has historically favoured cutting or scrapping the wealth tax and the temporary solidarity tax on large fortunes. Several PP-run regions have already cut inheritance and gift taxes, and a national government could go further. 

Again, that’s an expectation and not a pledge. 

Residency paperwork is partly out of Madrid’s hands 

The analysts suggest a new government reshuffling ministries or immigration rules could cause delays for residency renewals and Non-Lucrative Visas. The Golden Visa, which the current government plans to scrap, could also be reversed. 

However, the 90/180-day rule (the limit on visitor stays) is EU law, so no Spanish government can change it alone.

The polls point in different directions 

PolitPro’s election trend, updated on Monday October 19, puts the PP in front. Two polls published on Friday October 9 suggested the PP and Vox together would win about 198 seats (El País) and 200 seats (El Confidencial), above the 176 needed for a majority.

However, the state-run Centre for Sociological Research (CIS) poll on Wednesday October 14 had the PSOE (Pedro Sanchez’s party) on 34 per cent against 22.2 per cent for the PP, a lead of nearly 12 points. Meanwhile one SocioMétrica simulation for El Español gives Sánchez just a 0.1 per cent chance of stopping a right-wing absolute majority, with the PP 25 seats ahead of the PSOE.

Any coalition deal after the vote will show which of these ideas survive, and that’s when British residents will find out what, if anything, changes for them.

The Region of Murcia Food Bank is preparing a new wave of food collections in the municipality of Cartagena and across the region this autumn, calling on residents to volunteer their time and help support people struggling to afford everyday essentials.

Food bank calls for volunteers across the region this autumn

The initiative, called the ‘autumn of solidarity’, comes ahead of Spain’s annual Gran Recogida de Alimentos, one of the country’s largest charitable food collection campaigns. This year, the nationwide drive will take place from November 13 to 15, with food banks across Spain seeking around 80,000 volunteers to help make the collections possible.

How residents can support the national food collection

Volunteers will play a crucial role during these food collection campaigns, helping at participating supermarkets, explaining how shoppers can contribute and receiving donated products. Even a few hours of support can help ensure that more donations reach the people who need them. No previous experience is required to take part in the national campaign, making it an accessible way for newcomers and long-term residents alike to get involved in their local community.

The Region of Murcia Food Bank also relies on volunteers throughout the year. Its work involves receiving, sorting, storing and distributing donated food to organisations supporting vulnerable people. Volunteers can contribute through practical tasks, specialist skills or support for individual campaigns.

Cartagena community efforts deliver thousands of kilogrammes of food

Food banks help charities and community organisations provide essential supplies to households facing financial difficulties. Cartagena has already demonstrated the impact of collective action. A food collection organised by the municipality’s Youth Department in February raised 5,910 kilogrammes of food, with contributions from youth associations and other local groups. The donations went towards vulnerable families and organisations.

Expats encouraged to support local families this autumn

For locals, expatriates, and visitors to the Costa Calida, the campaign offers an opportunity to support the community they call home. Whether by volunteering during a supermarket collection or contributing food, every effort can help local organisations continue their work.

Residents interested in volunteering can find further information through the Region of Murcia Food Bank’s official website, as well as the national food bank federation’s Gran Recogida de Alimentos campaign.

Google Cloud services have suffered a major disruption affecting banks, delivery companies and popular websites, leaving customers struggling to make payments, access accounts and complete everyday transactions.

The problems were reported on Tuesday, October 20, with Google’s official status dashboard confirming issues affecting multiple services in its London-based europe-west2 region. Sky News reported that thousands of users had flagged problems, while complaints continued to appear online throughout the morning.

Which banks and websites are affected?

Revolut has been among the hardest-hit services, with card payments, bank transfers, cash withdrawals and other features affected. The digital banking service confirmed that the disruption was affecting multiple services but reassured customers that their money and data remained safe.

Lloyds Bank said its app remained available for normal logins, although some customers were experiencing problems with certain online services. Halifax also acknowledged difficulties affecting its app and online banking.

Other organisations reporting problems include HSBC, Bank of Scotland, Royal Mail, DPD and property website Rightmove. Sky News also reported complaints involving NHS England, supermarket Asda and the GOV.UK website, although it cautioned that the relationship between every reported problem and Google’s outage had not been established.

Customers report failed payments and delivery delays

Reports shared with Sky News illustrate how a cloud computing problem can affect ordinary activities far beyond the technology industry. One customer said a Revolut payment failed while they were trying to pay for a supermarket shop, forcing them to use another card. Another reported that their Revolut card was declined at a motorway toll booth, causing delays and embarrassment.

A DPD customer also warned that they could not send out orders, raising concerns about parcels due to arrive the following day. Users on Reddit’s technology forums reported problems affecting services hosted in Google’s London region, with some describing individual systems going offline while others continued working.

Could Google Cloud have been hacked?

Speculation about a possible cyberattack is likely to grow whenever a major technology provider experiences widespread disruption. However, there is currently no verified evidence that hackers caused this incident.

Google has confirmed that its engineering teams are investigating the service problems but has not publicly established the cause. Sky News also reported a separate incident affecting Google Security Operations, Google’s security monitoring product. The company said affected customers could experience failed sessions and delays to platform workflows. That incident should not be treated as proof of a cyberattack on Google’s wider infrastructure.

Is Spain affected by the outage?

The confirmed Google Cloud incident concerns its London region, rather than a complete shutdown of its European or global network. Nevertheless, people in Spain could experience problems if websites or applications they use depend on affected infrastructure. International businesses may also operate services across several regions, meaning the geographical location of a customer does not necessarily determine whether they are affected.

Google’s status dashboard lists multiple cloud products experiencing difficulties in europe-west2. The company has apologised to affected customers and says its engineering team is continuing to investigate.

Until Google provides further details, the precise cause and full extent of the disruption remain unclear. Customers experiencing banking problems should check their provider’s official service updates and consider an alternative payment method if available.