The parties Lokaal Apeldoorn, VVD, CDA, D66 and ChristenUnie signed their coalition agreement today. The agreement is entitled ‘Space for People’. With this coalition agreement, the parties are committing to a municipality that invests in both the physical and social living environment. An Apeldoorn where people take responsibility, meet one another and work together to build the future of the city and its villages.
“We are proud of Apeldoorn as the green and spacious capital of the Veluwe,” said the coalition parties. “A municipality where urban dynamism goes hand in hand with tranquillity, space and community spirit. We are building neighbourhoods and villages where people feel at home, meet one another and look out for one another.”
Apeldoorn is set to grow to at least 180,000 residents in the coming years. According to the coalition, this growth requires more than just housing, infrastructure and increased economic activity. Coalition negotiator Peter Messerschmidt (Lokaal Apeldoorn): “We are firmly committed to strong communities and a society in which people take responsibility for themselves and for one another.”
Trust in residents is central to the agreement. The coalition wishes to give scope to initiatives from neighbourhoods and villages and to encourage interaction in places where people naturally come together, such as schools, sports clubs, village halls and small neighbourhood squares. The underlying principle is that residents should take responsibility for their own lives as much as possible and work together with their local community to find solutions to the challenges they face.
At the same time, the parties emphasise that not everyone can solve every problem on their own. The coalition sees the government as a safety net for people who are temporarily unable to cope independently or with the support of those around them. The local authority must be a reliable and accessible public service for residents who need support. Not operating at a distance through rules and systems, but providing a local and people-centred service.
The new council will consist of six councillors and Mayor Ton Heerts. The prospective councillors will be formally nominated for appointment by the municipal council on Thursday 28 May.
Peter Messerschmidt and Marco Wenzkowski were also councillors during the previous term of office. Ingrid de Bondt has experience as a dike reeve, a member of the provincial executive and a councillor in Utrecht. Myrthe Kuiper was the lead candidate in the last elections. Bouwien ten Bokum and Jarin van der Zande have served as group leaders on Apeldoorn City Council in recent years and were both lead candidates for their respective parties in the last elections.
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