A new future begins for the Municipal Credit Bank (GKB) in Assen. The joint debt counselor, which operated for years under the flag of Assen, Hoogeveen and Meppel, will stand on its own two feet as the GKB Foundation from January 1. With eleven municipalities as clients, she provides debt assistance and provides income management to approximately five thousand clients.
GKB director Margriet Nascimento, who has been in charge of the debt counselor since March, is happy and relieved that the time has now come. According to her, the new foundation is now ‘on solid ground’.
“This has been a very drawn-out process that has now lasted ten years. That creates a lot of uncertainty. Now there is finally clarity about the future, and that gives confidence.” Amidst Christmas packages for hundreds of clients, “who could really use some extra support”, she is ready for the new future with the GKB club.
The GKB Foundation continues with 82 permanent employees. And Nascimento is also here to stay, which also provides some security on the work floor, after many interim managers came along in a few years. With a dowry from Assen, Hoogeveen and Meppel of approximately 1.5 million euros, the organization is ‘financially also on a solid foundation’, according to Nascimento. The works council has now also approved the privatization. The collective labor agreement for staff remains the same.
In recent years, planned start dates for an independent GKB had to be adjusted time and again. The cause of this was doubts among the three municipal authorities about the desired independence. At other times there were concerns about the chosen organizational structure, or the finances were uncertain, resulting in new investigations.
As a result, the situation remained uncertain for a long time and employees left because they did not know where they stood. In the meantime, three interim directors have been reviewed since the well-known GKB director Jan Tingen left in 2022.
To deal with all debt files, the GKB had to hire external workers, which cost the club. Every year the three responsible municipalities had to contribute extra money, which amounted to many hundreds of thousands of euros. “We have now moved on from that. As an organization we are ready for our new future.”
According to the three municipalities that were in charge of the GKB, there is now ‘a robust organization’ and good debt assistance is guaranteed for the future. The GKB has already written positive figures for the first half of 2025. That is also new, after years of loss. And a modest profit is even expected for the first time.
“That’s nice, but making a profit is not our goal,” said Nascimento. “We were commissioned to help people who are in debt, or who need some income management because they cannot manage on their own. That is what it is all about.”
The GKB Foundation will have eleven municipalities as clients for which it arranges debt assistance in the coming years. They conclude agreements for five years. If they want to terminate the contract, they must announce this after three years.
In Drenthe, the municipalities of Aa and Hunze, Assen, Borger-Odoorn, Hoogeveen, Meppel, Tynaarlo and Westerveld are joining forces with the new GKB. She also works with municipalities in Groningen and Overijssel.
According to Nascimento, the organization will remain in the building on Overcingellaan in Assen, which it rents from the owners, the three municipalities of the Joint Scheme. And although the location will not change, the GKB director wants to get started on its design.
“For a while we have put all our energy into the back of our organization, which is standing. Now it is time for the front, we want to receive people warmly and hospitably. When you walk through our door, you miss that, it feels cold and bare. When you come to us with your problems, there must be a warm atmosphere.”