Neighbourhood policy

At the start of its term the Dutch Cabinet presented its policy to tackle the problems of neighbourhoods that threaten to drop too far behind. What are the results of the Cabinet's policy in this field so far? At the request of the standing committee on Housing, Communities and Integration, Mr Eberhard Van der Laan, minister of Housing, Communities and Integration gave a résumé of the current situation. On Wednesday 3 June the committee had a debate with the minister on the issue.

Expectations
In a letter sent to the House of Representatives on 27 May 2009 the minister pointed out that expectations are high, but he also stressed that no tailor-made solutions are available. The minister is well aware of the fact that the House of Representatives closely monitors whether statistics on the 40 so-called priority neighbourhoods show progress and whether investments are bearing fruit. However, not all the effects can be measured in the short term.

Residents positive
Nevertheless, the Minister had first results and successes to sum up in a report submitted to the standing committee. He is of the opinion that municipalities endeavour to implement the neighbourhood policy. Residents also take a positive and dynamic approach. In the city of Maastricht, for instance, the local police officer and the housing associations combine their forces to combat street nuisance. In Arnhem counsellors take care of people without a job. Budgets allocated to the neighbourhoods were spent on useful projects, like the realization of a car ramp and a hangout hut for youngsters in Alkmaar.

Beyond the 40 priority neighbourhoods
The neighbourhood approach focuses on 40 designated priority neighbourhoods, but that cannot be the end of the story, the minister said,  because for other neighbourhoods are in need as well. Unemployment, poverty, domestic violence, integration problems, school drop-out and nuisance strongly affect the quality of life in these neighbourhoods. In cooperation with the housing associations the Minister would like to apply the know-how and experience gained in the 40 priority neighbourhoods in other communities as well.

Experiments
In all, 26 requests for neighbourhood improvement were submitted to the Minister, who approved 16 of them. Moreover, 7 experiments, set up by municipalities, ministries and other organisations together, are in progress. These include the welfare reform experiment and the project Cut the Red Tape. A "logbook" of every experiment is to be published shortly, stating the purpose and scope of the experiments as well as the first results if possible.

Funding
The Minister also informed the House of Representatives of his decisions as to the financial contributions to be made by the housing associations. Moreover, the standing committee raised the issue of rental prices for working accommodation. Renovation may cause these prices to rise to the extent that small entrepreneurs have to give up their business, which would also affect the neighbourhood. The minister also informed the House of the involvement of supermarkets in the Government's neighbourhood approach.