Before September, the Flemish government cannot provide extra money for childcare. Last weekend, Welfare Minister Hilde Crevits (CD&V) had indicated that she would request additional resources. But according to the cabinet of her colleague from Budget Matthias Diependaele (N-VA), it was agreed not to plan any new additional expenditure until the September statement and that agreement will also be honoured.
Minister Crevits is confronted with a higher than expected interest in a new subsidy scheme for crèches. When the call was launched, money was provided for 3,000 places. But in the meantime applications have been received for 9,000 places. And so the minister made it clear that she would ask her colleagues for extra money.
However, that is not immediately. “With Flanders, we realize that childcare is primordial and a permanent challenge. That is why, when drawing up the budget at the time of last year’s September statement, we agreed to spend 115 million more on childcare,” said the Diependaele cabinet on Friday following the budget review.
According to the cabinet, that budget has not yet been fully spent. “So we continue to invest based on that. In addition, we have honored the decree agreement, and the agreement with parliament, that no new additional expenditure will be planned until the September statement 2023. That also applies to this one.”
The result of the budgetary control is that the Flemish deficit will amount to 1.9 billion euros this year. This is more or less in line with the result of the budget. On the income side, Flanders sees a drop of 424 million euros in registration fees, as a result of the cooling housing market. In terms of expenditure, this is compensated by declining inflation (-520 million euros). The increased interest costs cost the Flemish government 68 million euros more.
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