All six factions in the municipal council of Gennep were present in the council chamber of the historic old town hall on the Markt. Frans and Gertjan were present on behalf of the FNV Gennep working group and also participated in the discussion on points. The atmosphere was good and receptive.
In one hour, director Paul Lempens took the council members through a presentation on the findings of FNV. In this presentation, he emphasized that there are differences, for example in the neighboring municipality of Mook where all regulations are set to the income standard of 120% of the social minimum and the amount in Bergen where you receive 12, 18 and 31 euros more in individual income supplement. A number of recommendations were also given, including providing residents with a low income known to the municipality ex officio instead of via application, working together with other organizations so that people do not have to prove their income again at every counter
No further information was obtained on a few questions to the council members, these are matters that are normally answered or discussed in a conversation with the alderman/civil servant. The council members were surprised that the alderman did not want to enter into a conversation with FNV.
The council members were able to supplement the list of other facilities in their municipality with, among others, the Food Bank and the Leergeld Foundation.
Now that all discussions with municipalities have been completed, the working groups in the region will start working on an update of the report that was presented in April 2024.
