In view of the budget crisis, the city administration wants to forgo the three company cars for the four volunteer mayors from 2026. However, the city would like to hold on to the nine cars for the nine department heads and Mayor Henriette Reker (independent). According to a spokeswoman, by foregoing she wants to save leasing costs of 40,345 euros annually.
The administration wants to at least abolish the reserve vehicle for the city leaders and adjust the leasing contracts for these cars. The spokeswoman could not say how much the city leaders’ cars cost.
520 appointments per year
The four honorary mayors represent Reker on around 520 occasions per year; they are currently four council politicians: Andreas Wolter (Greens), Ralf Heinen (SPD), Ralph Elster (CDU) and Brigitta von Bülow (Greens). In the future you should take the bus, train or taxi.
According to her own statement, von Bülow does most of her trips by bike. She said: “It has to be guaranteed that a car is available when needed, either through a pool solution or in another way.”
The administration also wants to save on payments to the city council after the local elections in autumn 2025. There is currently a city council, 21 specialist committees, six works committees and 17 other committees such as the Integration Council. More committees mean more meetings, which in turn mean more costs, including loss of earnings or childcare costs.
Council decides on savings proposals
But the city council itself must decide on the administration’s proposal for all these austerity measures, either in its current composition or, more likely, after the election with newly elected politicians. Does the council really manage to save on itself? Especially after he has already approved more money for his work in 2020 and 2023. According to a query by the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger”, a large part of the current council is willing to do this.
A spokesman for the Green Party said: “Everyone has to save. That’s why it’s right that the mayor and treasurer are also proposing consolidations in this area.” The parliamentary group will now discuss this. CDU parliamentary group leader Bernd Petelkau announced something similar: “We will then present our suggestions and adjustments in an overall concept in January.”
No company cars for political groups since 2020
Until 2020, parliamentary groups larger than 25 members also had the right to a company car plus a driver, but the council changed that after the Greens became the strongest force in the 2020 election. Now the parliamentary groups have to pay for possible company cars from their own budget.
Only a few politicians work full-time, for example managing directors of the parliamentary groups and some parliamentary group leaders. The others work on a voluntary basis for a monthly allowance of 642.60 euros plus attendance fees.
Greens receive the most money
In November 2020, the majority of the Council changed the key used to calculate how much the parliamentary groups, groups and individual elected representatives receive. Groups are defined as having at least three members; a group consists of two members.
For example, the Greens, as the strongest parliamentary group with 26 of 90 council members, received a total of 1.14 million euros in 2022 for the work of their office. Like the other factions, they pay, among other things, a full-time managing director and speakers who work on content-related topics. Last year, for example, there was also around 300,000 euros in monetary benefits, i.e. rooms, computers or telephones and computers.
SPD announces examination
SPD parliamentary group leader Christian Joisten announced that the costs would be critically examined: “But it is also clear: democracy and the control of the city administration by elected citizens must not be made a sole question of costs.” Jörg Detjen from the Left said: “Democracy costs money. We would still accept cuts in administration and the parliamentary groups, but we firmly reject cuts in social institutions.”
And FDP parliamentary group leader Ulrich Breite said: “The dramatic budget situation requires everyone to make a contribution to consolidation, this also applies to the mayors and the Cologne council.” Volt parliamentary group leader Jennifer Glashagen said: “My concern is that this will increase the imbalance between the administration and the council increases. This is not about company cars, but about employees who make our voluntary political work possible.”
