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Government party VVD already has strong objections to the new housing law presented by CDA minister De Jonge today.
The party thinks it is unjust that that law states that municipalities can be obliged to build 30 percent new social rental homes. “An absurd idea to impose this throughout the Netherlands,” said MP De Groot. “This minister wants to roll out the disadvantaged neighborhoods of the future throughout the Netherlands.”
The VVD believes that too many social rental homes are being built in some cities, such as Amsterdam, and that De Jonge should do something about it. The party wants more affordable owner-occupied homes for the middle groups. According to De Groot, the VVD will only agree to the law when they come.
Give priority
The VVD also objects to the obligation included in the bill for municipalities to give priority to certain home seekers. These are informal carers and the people they care for, people with serious medical conditions, the homeless, victims of domestic violence, people coming out of a care institution, youth care or prison and retiring sex workers.
The VVD has particular difficulty with the latter two groups. De Groot: “Someone who has just come out of prison will soon be ahead of someone who has been on a waiting list for twelve years. And priority for ex-sex workers? Isn’t that inexplicable?” The VVD is afraid that this will lead to “social tensions” and unsafe neighbourhoods.
More power
Minister De Jonge presented new legislation today that should give the national government more power over the construction of new homes. Tighter agreements with municipalities and provinces should solve the housing shortage in the coming years.
Two-thirds of the homes that must be built nationwide are affordable homes, such as social rental homes and owner-occupied homes with a price of a maximum of 355,000 euros. Up to and including 2030, this concerns 350,000 owner-occupied and rental homes in the middle segment and 250,000 social rental homes from housing corporations.
The VVD agrees with this objective, which has also been agreed in the coalition agreement of VVD, D66, CDA and ChristenUnie. Not with parts of the elaboration of CDA minister De Jonge. Government party D66 has also announced that it wants more enforceable agreements with municipalities about affordable owner-occupied housing and student housing, and less about social rental housing.
