In the coming years, municipalities will not have the money to contribute to government plans, such as the construction of additional homes and the transition to sustainable energy. They, united in the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG), have made this known to the government in a letter.
“Even if we wanted to, we can no longer cooperate on important social topics,” writes the VNG.
The municipalities of Drenthe also support the conclusion in the letter, Rikus Jager reports. He is chairman of the Association of Municipalities of Drenthe. “We are calling on you to come to our aid, because there is a joint responsibility,” he says.
Jager points to tasks such as housing construction, nitrogen, the influx of refugees and the aftermath of the corona crisis. “It is important to look at the total that will be on our plate. That requires facilitation.”
This does not only have to be extra money for municipalities, but also, for example, good legislation and the conviction to tackle matters together. “It is now ‘we’ versus ‘them'”, criticizes Jager, who is mayor of the municipality of Westerveld in addition to his presidency. “Money plays a role, of course, but you can’t solve a nitrogen problem with that. It also requires good legislation to solve something like this. And if we suffer from it above average, then discuss it within Europe.”
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