The VVD will still be part of the new coalition in Kerkrade, but without supplying an alderman.
The party only has one seat on the city council. That is one less than in the previous term of office. Then the VVD did supply an alderman.
The coalition in Kerkrade is now formed by Citizens’ Interests, Ons Kerkrade, PvdA, the Elderly Party and VVD. Together they account for 21 of the 29 seats in the municipal council.
These are the aldermen
The names of the four new aldermen have also been announced. These are Alexander Geers (Civil Interests), John Roland (Ons Kerkrade), René van Drunen (PvdA) and Jo Paas (Elderly Party). Tim Weijers and Jo Schlangen – both from Citizen Interests – are starting a new term as alderman. Among the newcomers, Alexander Geers takes the place of Huub Wiermans. He had indicated before the elections that he would stop. As party leader, Geers was 3rd on the candidate list of Citizens’ Interests. He has been a councilor since 2014. John Roland took 2nd place on the list of candidates of Ons Kerkrade – also as party chairman. Roland has been on the board since 2006. The PvdA had previously announced that party chairman René van Drunen will take over the alderman’s post from Leo Jongen. He becomes a councilor again. Van Drunen has been a member of the Kerkrade council since 2010. Jo Paas has been a member of the council since 2014. He was again the leader of the Elderly Party in March. He is also a citizen committee member of 50Plus in the Limburg Parliament.
With the debuting aldermen, the Municipal Executive will consist of two-thirds of new faces for the next four years.
To build
The coalition agreement of the five parties has been given the title “Building further together on a vital and challenging Kerkrade”. An important place in this is what is called a housing offensive. This involves sufficient social housing and more attention for homes in the middle and higher segment. But also homes for starters and for the elderly who want to move to a smaller home. It is about a responsible mix of homes that are affordable, sustainable and life-resistant, it says. The new coalition wants to accelerate the new coalition in particular behind such a mix of homes on the complex of the former swimming pool D’r Pool.
Windmills with support
The five parties also want to stimulate the transition to sustainable energy. But wind turbines are only installed if 95 to 100 percent of the local residents agree. Furthermore, affordability is described as an important point for attention, as is encouraging citizens to take preventive measures such as insulating homes. Other striking points from the Kerkrade coalition agreement are the abolition of the dog tax for the first dog, more involvement of residents in policy, district and neighborhood budgets and more facilities aimed at the entertainment of youth and young people. Because there are too few now.
The coalition has also set itself the goal of adding the Sancta Maria building to the Flexiforum complex. This concerns the former campus. The redevelopment of that old school building has proved successful, it has been noted. Not only does it provide suitable housing for many tenants, but it also contributes to social safety in the neighbourhood. The tenants are institutions and organizations such as the educational umbrella organization Movare and the Kerkrade client council. But violinist Guido Diederen and his orchestra are also housed there.
Parking remains free
The current parking policy with free parking for the first hour and completely free parking in the neighborhoods will remain unchanged. However, it will be evaluated in mid-2024. The coalition program also explicitly states that Kerkrade will remain independent. Efforts will also be made to obtain the status of a protected Natura 2000 area for the Wormdal. This is already the case on the German side of this cross-border area.
Civic interests, Ons Kerkrade, PvdA, Elderly Party and VVD also declare that the municipality continues to stand up for the weakest and most vulnerable. Combating loneliness among the elderly is also a spearhead.
The coalition program will be submitted to the city council for approval on Wednesday 25 May. Then the six aldermen will also be installed.
Citizen Interests is by far the largest party in the Kerkrade council with 11 seats. Ons Kerkrade has 4 seats, the PvdA and the Elderly Party respectively 3 and 2 seats and the VVD 1 seat. The four opposition parties together have 8 seats. These are Local Alternative (3), SP (2), CDA (2) and Hart voor Vrijheid (1).