Eindhoven Municipality presented its accounts book on Thursday. Despite a disastrous year, the municipality has been successful in having a full piggy bank. It is rather unusual.
The municipality closes 2020 with a positive financial result of 43.4 million on a budget of 1 billion. “In the first quarter of 2020, the corona crisis hit us. Since then, the coronavirus has had a major impact on the city and therefore also on the municipal organization. Eindhoven was fortunate to have financial strength. The housekeeping book (including the social domain) is in order and the buffer capital is up to standard,” according to the municipality’s review.
In addition to the national funds, Eindhoven has also used its own resources to help entrepreneurs through the period of the corona crisis. With this, they have tried to keep the social infrastructure alive. The surplus money is a part of the WMO money. WMO is the scheme that pays for resources for people in need of care, such as rollators. Here we had previously made some cuts. But there is a good explanation according to councilor Joost de Jong, finances.
“We saw this surplus coming some time ago. But we did not know what the consequences of the corona crisis would bring. So, we left the WMO item on a somewhat larger budget. In the meantime, everything was much better organized. So, we spent less. Those are the two reasons that led to the surplus.”
The councilor assures that people in need of care in Eindhoven did receive all the help they were entitled to.
Next week the municipality is going to announce what would happen with the 43 million that is left over.
Source: www.studio040.nl
Translation: Chaitali Sengupta. She also gives online INBURGERING classes.
