After months of formation, Alkmaar finally has a coalition. It is striking that she wants to receive asylum seekers in the municipality again and wants to create a place where addicts can tolerate alcohol or drugs. Extra attention is also paid to the elderly.
GroenLinks, Belangen Alkmaarse Samenleving, the Labor Party, CDA, Leefbaar Alkmaar, SP and ChristenUnie have worked on a 38-page agreement. Below you can read more about three striking plans.
Asylum reception
Alkmaar wants to receive asylum seekers “to the proportion of the municipality that we are”, says David Rubio Borrajo of the PvdA. “You cannot expect a municipality like Heiloo to receive twice as many people as Alkmaar.”
“The trick is to properly involve residents in asylum policy. We must ensure that we maintain support”
The parties also want to work on a long-term vision, says Joël Voordewind. As a former Member of Parliament at the ChristenUnie, he was involved in the asylum case file, and in Alkmaar he will become an alderman with that theme in his portfolio.
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Voordewind is aware that the topic in Alkmaar has recently become was controversial and therefore calls it ‘a challenge’: “The trick is to properly involve residents in policy. We also want to work less ad hoc in this area and focus on small-scale reception. We must ensure that we maintain support. “
lonely elderly
New in Alkmaar is a so-called ‘elderly policy’: this includes combating loneliness. The policy for older residents must be drawn up in consultation with the senior citizens’ unions. Think, for example, of housing for the elderly, such as care homes, ‘knarrenhofjes’ or mixed residential care initiatives.
“At the moment there is no such policy in Alkmaar,” says ChristenUnie party chairman Ronald van Veen. “We want to see that differently: this way we can check the college better in the field of elderly care.”
‘Wet space’
The coalition also wants a ‘concrete action plan’ to remove frequent nuisances, who are known for excessive drinking and drug use, from the streets ‘in, for example, our parking garages and locations such as Paardenmarkt and Canadaplein’.
“By designing a wet room, we can better identify who is struggling with which addiction and we have more control over it”
“We do this by setting up a so-called ‘wet room’, where this vulnerable group of people can be helped under the right professional guidance,” reports the coalition agreement. Drug use is tolerated in a wet room: drink and drug addicts can use it under supervision.
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PvdA party chairman Borrajo explains: “We want to keep people who cause nuisance off the street, but preferably also help. By setting up a wet room, we better identify who is struggling with which addiction and we have more control over it. on.”
Little water with the wine
GroenLinks party leader Maaike Kardinaal looks to the coming four years with great optimism: “Soon there will be a solid board of skilled people who will form our municipal council. That is necessary, with the challenges ahead.”
“The opposition still has plenty to say: there is always room for debate”
According to Cardinal, the parties were able to ‘find each other on content’. “Party programs were so close in many ways that we didn’t have to compromise.” Still, the opposition has “still plenty to say,” she says: “There’s always room for debate.”
The councilors will be sworn in on Thursday. Curious about the entire coalition agreement? That is here to find.
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