Local population statistics published recently show yet another rise in the number of people moving to this area.

Of this increase a high percentage are foreigners, for instance 25% of the 59,806 people registered as living in Estepona are foreigners, and this percentage rises to nearer 50% of Manilva's approx 11,000 inhabitants - in fact nearly 20%, over 2,000, of the registered population of Manilva is from the UK.

There are also large representations from many South American countries, particularly Argentina , Bolivia and Paraguay , as well as Moroccans, Rumanians and Scandinavians with Manilva's cosmopolitan population having 67 different nationalities making up its Padron.

As a result of this trend, the Town Halls of each of the municipalities have channelled more and more resources to their Foreigner's Departments, whose role is to help integrate these diverse cultures into the community and to assist these newcomers with their day-to-day needs such as advice about schooling, registration, health matters and also the provision of subsidised Spanish lessons.

As a result of the increase in families moving to the area this has also had a considerable impact on schools. Gone are the days when foreign youngsters were something of a novelty in Spanish state schools, there is now a situation where in some classrooms there are almost as many foreign kids as Spaniards.

This has led the Junta de Andalucia to phase in the introduction of bilingual lessons into schools, particularly in areas where there is a high concentration of foreign residents, and plans to open approximately 400 bilingual schools over the next four years.

The idea behind these bilingual schools is not just the extension of language teaching programme but also that certain elements of the syllabus, such as history and science will be taught in English where appropriate.

This large population increase has also made local authorities suddenly realise that the shape of the political landscape is also changing and that these newcomers, should they all exercise their right to vote, could decide the outcome of the forthcoming elections next May.

As a result of this realisation the left wing parties at national level, in particular the Izquierda Unida and the governing PSOE are pushing for a change in legislation to allow non EU migrants, registered on the Padron, to vote in local elections.