GroenLinks, D66 and the SP in Hoogeveen are calling on the municipality to set up emergency shelter for asylum seekers. According to the factions, this should be done to relieve the burden on the registration center in Ter Apel. But a council majority voted against the motion during tonight’s meeting. Mayor Karel Loohuis was also clear: “Enough is enough”.
According to Loohuis, the council is concerned about the dire situation in Ter Apel. “You don’t do this to people,” says the mayor. “The request to provide emergency shelter is sympathetic, but we have to draw the line. Hoogeveen already accommodates an above-average number of asylum seekers, the same applies to Ukrainians. The problem is always left to municipalities, but it is a task of the government. The solution has to come from there, there is a limit at some point.”
Marin Rutgers, party leader of D66, admitted that she had thought carefully about why she co-sponsored the motion. “You can say that we already do a lot in Hoogeveen, but as far as we are concerned, we do something extra. All those people who do not have a suitable place to stay during the holidays. That’s just you. We cannot hide, we must play a role in this.”
“Every fiber in my body says no to this proposal. Especially in Hoogeveen, we are the best boy in the class,” added Ronald Klok of the VVD. “We already do a lot, why do more now?” That didn’t sit well with Jeroen Pomper of the SP. “I don’t like throwing mud, but Mr. Klok: you lie comfortably on your bed and can have breakfast and go to the toilet in the morning. The people in Ter Apel have no choice.”
Klok was no longer given the opportunity to respond to the SP councilor. Mayor Loohuis said that he had no need for a debate on the subject. “We’ll have to find another night for that.”
Vincent Vos of Forum van Democratie said he was perplexed. “Left-wing parties submit such a proposal after the national election results. It is bizarre. The residents of Ter Apel experience a lot of inconvenience. In addition, you do not solve the problems with shelter. You have to deport them from the country. We vote against and stand up for the Hoogeven residents and the Dutch interest.”
The PvdA ultimately agreed to the proposal for emergency shelter. “There is no asylum crisis, there is a reception crisis in the Netherlands. It is a shame that many municipalities in the Netherlands do so little to help.”
Hoogeveen has already opened an emergency shelter in 2022. At the time, a building along Stephensonstraat could accommodate fifty people.