News item | 07-12-2023 | 4:35 PM
The Special Measures for Metropolitan Problems Act (Wbmgp) allows municipalities to, in exceptional cases, selectively allocate homes in a specific area if the quality of life and safety there comes under pressure.
Evaluation has led to a policy response from Minister Hugo de Jonge of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK). This contains a number of proposals for amendments to the law that were sent to the House of Representatives today. Furthermore, some options are being explored to expand the content of the law and make it more widely applicable, so that not only urban areas, but also other municipalities and (border) regions can intervene more if necessary.
“Not only in vulnerable urban areas, but also in other parts of the country, the quality of life is under pressure and residents are experiencing an accumulation of problems. We must prevent these areas from falling further behind. That is why we want to give municipalities more options to intervene if necessary,” said Minister Hugo de Jonge.
Special Measures for Metropolitan Problems Act
Municipalities can, under certain conditions, selectively allocate homes to tenants when social security, quality of life and safety in an area are under pressure. Municipalities can refuse home seekers from designated residential complexes, streets or neighborhoods based on the nature of their income or on the basis of criminal or nuisance behavior in the past. Municipalities can also give priority to certain target groups (for example teachers or healthcare workers). These measures are only used if other solutions do not provide sufficient relief.
Mayor Jan Hamming from Zaandam about the law: “The Wbmgp is important for Zaandam East. We work to improve our children’s chances for a successful future. We invest in education, work, safety and quality of life, among other things. We see that many vulnerable residents live in Zaandam East and that we can only take structural steps if there is more balance in, for example, the number of residents with work in a neighborhood. In Zaanstad, the law has been providing us with a handle for this for six years. Partly because of this, a new group of residents is added who has a positive influence on the neighborhood as a whole. There is a lot of support for this approach among current residents and new residents of the neighborhoods.”
Broadening in terms of content and geography
In addition to exploring substantive expansion, it is being investigated whether a geographical expansion of the Wbmgp is possible. In certain regions, especially on the edges of the country, the quality of living, working and living is under pressure due to an accumulation of problems. In many cases, just as now in cities, the required approach requires exceptional policy and special legislation. Discussions about this will be held in the near future with the parties involved in the urban areas and in the regions, partly in the context of the follow-up to the advisory report ‘Every region counts!’. The outcome of the exploration will be shared with the House of Representatives early next year.
Adjustment Wbmgp
The operation of the law has been evaluated and it appears that municipalities find the law a useful addition to the local range of resources. However, in practice, municipalities encounter a number of bottlenecks when selectively allocating housing. Based on recommendations, the minister proposes a number of legislative amendments to the House of Representatives in a policy response. For example, a resident without his own income should no longer be hindered by the measure when moving within the designated neighborhood and can maintain ties with the neighborhood. Equal access criteria will also apply to a designated neighborhood for both newcomers and home seekers who have lived in the region for some time.
In addition, it is made possible for municipalities to ban home seekers who have previously threatened and intimidated care providers and other professionals in a designated neighborhood. Municipalities must be able to take into account other sources in addition to police data when screening home seekers for nuisance or crime. Such as administrative sanctions for, for example, residential nuisance, illegal rental and withdrawal of housing due to prostitution or cannabis cultivation.