An asylum seekers’ center in Berlicum or not? The College of Mayor and Aldermen of Sint-Michielsgestel must make a decision as soon as possible, according to coalition parties GroenLinks-PvdA and the SMG group. So that the city council can then make a decision. On Sunday, the two parties brought out a statement in which they will let you know that there should be an end to the lack of clarity about the AZC.
The AZC in Berlicum is not there yet, but it is already causing a lot of unrest among local residents. For example, protest banners and pork legs have been hung in the possible location on the Runweg. A fire was also set up there and eggs and fireworks were thrown to the town hall last week.
Adriaan van der Maarel is the party leader of GroenLinks-PvdA and he believes that the college should make a decision as quickly as possible. “Then we as a city council can find something and discuss it,” he says. “We think that the moment so many people have questions, you have to make a decision as soon as possible.”
GroenLinks-PvdA and the SMG group in the statement on Sunday also criticize the largest coalition party PPA. “The PPA has surprised the coalition parties with rotating positions and the proposal to ‘distribute the pain’ over all villages,” it says.
They thereby refer to two aldermen of the PPA who have agreed to find a location for the asylum seekers’ center within the municipality for more than two years. The location in Berlicum has always been part of that. While the PPA is now arguing that there should be no asylum seekers center in Berlicum, but that it must be spread over the municipality.
The two parties have applied for an extra inserted public council meeting in which the college and the PPA must answer. This meeting is planned for next Thursday.
VVD no longer wants confidentiality
Opposition party VVD Sint-Michielsgestel is also dissatisfied with the state of affairs regarding the asylum seekers center in Berlicum. They have always been against the shelter in Berlicum and for spreading in the municipality. “The process has been very bad so far,” says party leader Ytje van de Hulsbeek. “And if the process is not done well, you must stop and start over.”
What is mainly about Van de Hulsbeek is the confidentiality imposed that applies to the past meetings. “I am struggling with that because that makes it difficult to talk to residents,” she says. Because of this confidentiality, the VVD believes that they cannot be transparent towards residents.
Deputy mayor does not want to respond
The mayor of Sint-Michielsgestel has been absent for a long time due to illness. It is not known whether his absence also has to do with the discussion about the asylum seekers’ center. His replacement is deputy mayor Peter Raaijmakers of PPA. He announced on Monday by telephone that it seems ‘not wise’ to respond to the situation now. The PPA was also not available for a response.
A communication officer from the municipality of Sint-Michielsgestel says that ‘the college is considering the situation that has arisen’. She also points to the statement that deputy mayor Raaijmakers made last Friday: “As a lecture we have started a conversation with residents and we want to keep doing that. I call everyone on that conversation with us, but also as residents of Berlicum among each other, in a decent and respectful way.”