‘s message The Financial Times The fact that ‘dozens of status holders’ had quit their jobs after they had moved on to a home from the asylum seekers’ center in Utrecht caused quite a stir in recent days. For example, the Utrecht VVD councilor Tess Meerding spoke on Twitter of ‘a middle finger to the tax-paying Utrechter’. But doubts soon arose as to whether the numbers quoted by the newspaper were correct.
Alderman Streefland therefore decided to have the matter investigated. On Tuesday she wrote to the Utrecht city council that ‘at least 6 of this year, 650 status holders to be accommodated have terminated their contract with a large international fast food chain’. In addition, the municipality received signals about ‘possibly a few other status holders’ at another catering company.
It now appears that there are even fewer status holders. During the day Wednesday’s council meeting Streefland reported that he had ‘sorted out the matter a little more thoroughly’. ‘It turns out there are three,’ concluded the alderman. “They had a part-time job over the summer.”
Streefland expressed the hope that the new figures would ease the commotion that had arisen in recent days. To this end, VVD councilor Meerding immediately took the first step. “If I had had the knowledge we have today,” she responded during the meeting, “I wouldn’t have put the questions and the tweet I sent out in those terms.”