Dresden. The Dresden city councils have made important decisions to support the Dresden residents in the pandemic. This is not about the federal government’s corona aid, but about resolutions over several million euros. What kind of support is available and who will benefit from it:
Day care fees are reimbursed
All parents in Dresden who placed their children in a crèche, kindergarten, after-school care center or with day-care workers during the closing period get their money back. For the period from mid-December 2020 to February 2021, when the facilities were closed or only offered emergency operation.
Since the city council has approved this, a total of 9.4 million euros will now be reimbursed to parents in Dresden. The city receives most of this reimbursement from the country.
We will keep you updated about the coronavirus in our news blog.
Support for culture thwarted
The decision on the so-called Corona emergency aid fund became a fundamental question. Under the title, the Greens, CDU, Left, SPD and FDP had negotiated with the budget, among other things, that an additional 600,000 euros would be used to support Dresden’s cultural scene after the pandemic.
FDP parliamentary group leader Holger Zastrow declared this to be one of his central demands. “It’s about 550,000 euros, which are used specifically for major events.” He thinks of the Dixieland Festival, the Elbhangfest and the city festival. Festivals that have supraregional importance and are economically strong, ”said Zastrow. Otherwise they would not or hardly be supported, they needed private sponsors. The funding from the city should expressly be available in 2020 and 2021. “It’s about saving these festivals so that they can continue to take place in Dresden,” said Zastrow. The major events took a long time to prepare and were also among the last events to be re-admitted after Corona. The remaining 50,000 euros were to be used for the independent cultural scene.
But there are evidently misunderstandings about how the resolution was meant: In the city council meeting, a submission by Culture Mayor Annekatrin Klepsch (left) was put to the vote. It is about 200,000 euros for large events, 100,000 euros for cultural project funding, 45,000 euros for small projects, 110,000 euros for the association “We design Dresden” and 40,000 euros for a Corona “matching fund”.
The association “We design Dresden” is supposed to implement the project “Showcase Art and Culture Dresden”. This means that performances such as theater, concerts, readings or film screenings are to take place in vacant shops and in open spaces in the city center in order to liven up the city center and shops. Events that would be too expensive and impracticable due to the corona measures are to be supported from the “matching fund”.
“It doesn’t work like that,” said Zastrow. “Mrs. Klepsch, that is indecent. It’s about our honor, as the city council we have to demand the administration’s respect for our decisions again. “
That’s why Zastrow wanted to turn everything around again. But Mayor Klepsch clarified by quoting from the decision. “It says, among other things, major events.” In addition, Dixieland and Elbhangfest have already been funded with around 20,000 euros for this year. “Despite the cancellation of these events, we will not claim this money back if it can be proven that it has already been spent on preparation,” said Klepsch.
In addition, both festivals can continue to submit funding applications, including from the emergency aid fund. This could be different at the city festival, as this is awarded by license and already receives an amount for the implementation on behalf of the city. “In addition, we have applied for further funding of up to 500,000 euros from the federal government, from which the private cultural industry and event organizers can benefit.” It is about organizing a cultural summer for Dresden, if this is possible.
City councilor Anja Apel (left) also said that it had not been determined what specifically would be funded. “It was never said, only major events.” SPD city councilor Richard Kaniewski called it a “smart suggestion” by Klepsch, because in addition to private parties, the free art and culture scene also benefits. “We’re not allowed to take them out.”
CDU parliamentary group leader Peter Krüger saw the entire budget compromise in danger. “I hope this is not the swan song for compromise.” One should agree to the FDP because that was part of the decision.
After a break, Zastrow himself applied to discuss the proposal again in the committee. The decision on how to distribute the money for culture has thus been postponed.
Downtown retailers can open another Sunday
In the hope that the Corona restrictions will allow it, the city councils have decided to have Sunday shopping in the city center. This is to take place on August 22nd, and the Dresden city festival is also planned for the weekend.
The left wanted to postpone the decision to the last meeting before the summer break, it should take place on July 22nd. City councilor Jens Matthis spoke of a “parallel universe”. “The dealers now have completely different worries, and today nobody really knows whether a city festival can take place in Dresden that weekend.” And even if there is, it could also be wrong to allow indoor shopping at an outdoor festival – that always depend on the current Corona situation.
The city originally wanted to allow Sunday shopping on May 16 as well. Occasions should be the Dixieland festival and the music festival.
The Dixieland Festival has now been canceled and postponed to 2022. The makers of the music festival want to reveal soon how this should take place in a corona-compliant manner.
The most important thing about the corona virus in Dresden:
