The municipality of Medemblik (for the time being) does not intend to issue an emergency signal to the government about receiving status holders and asylum seekers. Since the bill for forced asylum reception is not (yet) concrete, the Commission considers it too early to make any statements about this.
Group chairmen Tjeu Berlin (Heart for Medemblik) and Chris de Meij (Liberal Hoorn) cried at the end of July in a ‘fire letter’ to the municipality not to heed the plan of VVD State Secretary Eric van der Burg (of Asylum and Migration).
Van der Burg wants to oblige local authorities to receive more asylum seekers, now that the reception center in Ter Apel is bursting at the seams. A problem that has been going on for months. The limit has been reached, Berlin sees. To prevent further problems, both parties believe that a ‘distress signal should be issued’ in West Friesland.
Too early
The municipality of Medemblik does not respond to this. The Commission makes a distinction in reception between status holders and asylum seekers. This is because municipalities in the Netherlands have to meet its statutory task for housing status holders every year.
“Municipalities do not (yet) have a legal task for the reception of asylum seekers. The plan to receive asylum seekers is still being worked out,” the council writes. “It is still too early at this stage to respond substantively, because it is not yet clear what exactly this means for us.”
However, a signal has been sent at regional level, such as for the accelerated reception of status holders and asylum seekers. The municipalities of North Holland North wore in June what they consider to be a ‘more sustainable’ alternative. “This accelerated housing will relieve the asylum seekers’ centers in the Netherlands.”
However, the Commission has a comment to make if Van der Burg’s bill is implemented. “What we do think is an important point is that the central government provides the municipality with sufficient capacity and resources to get started with the amendment to the law. And that the share of our municipality is proportional to the rest of the country.”
13 residences for status holders
According to both parties, the central government must also stop the ‘robbery of municipalities’. “There are limits to the reception, especially because there is also another assignment,” said Tjeu Berlin, referring to the housing shortage in West Friesland.
The commission indicates that there is no question of large-scale reception in Medemblik. No houses are made available to accommodate asylum seekers. “For housing status holders, yes. If homes become available, they will be distributed among regular home seekers and special target groups such as status holders.”
Of the 591 homes that were released in 2019 and 2020, 13 have been assigned to a status holder, according to their letter. The municipality of Hoorn will provide an answer to the same questions posed by Liberaal Hoorn.