West Maas en Waal stays on course, but adjustments are needed

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The municipality of West Maas en Waal will end 2023 with a surplus. This extra financial buffer will be more than necessary in the coming years. An expected increase in expenditure in the coming years will make it necessary to make choices in order to stay on course.

Positive result 

On behalf of the council, Alderman Evert Jan Slootweg explains: “We ended the year on a positive note with a surplus of around 3 million. This is mainly due to the sale of land to project developers. In addition, a number of projects have been postponed or are taking longer because it is difficult to find personnel to carry them out. As a result, we have money left over, money that we need to pay the high costs in the coming years." Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about the costs of housing for Ukrainians in West Maas en Waal. "Part of the surplus from the general reserves is now being used for this," explains the alderman. "These temporary additional costs are very unfortunate, but they do not determine the financial challenges of the coming years."

Increase in expenditure

All municipalities will have higher expenditures in the coming years due to inflation. Increased demand for care and support will also drive up these expenditures. At the same time, municipalities will receive less money from the national government. "The national government demands a lot from municipalities and is somewhat stingy in terms of the resources it provides in return. We want the money to go with the tasks," summarizes Evert-Jan Slootweg. "We will certainly make that voice heard in The Hague."

Making choices to stay on course 

"We always ensure that our income matches our expenditure. Rising costs mean that we have to make choices. The challenge is to achieve as many of our ambitions as possible with less money. We will be discussing this with the organization and the board in the coming period," continues Evert Jan Slootweg. "We are looking at our expenditures: what can be improved, changed, or made more efficient. We are also scrutinizing all our plans: are they realistic, and can we perhaps spread them out over several years? We will also be looking at our income. We will submit the final proposal to the council," concludes the alderman.

Outlook in the Spring Memorandum

The Spring Memorandum provides insight into the municipality's financial situation, developments, and plans for the coming years.

City council to make a decision soon

The 2023 annual accounts and the 2024 Spring Memorandum will be submitted to the municipal council. The council will take a decision on this matter at its meeting on July 4.