Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) – The 31 districts in North Rhine-Westphalia fear significant budget gaps from 2023. The aid from the federal and state governments for the costs of the corona pandemic was not enough to counteract the tense financial situation in many municipalities, the NRW district day announced on Friday in Düsseldorf. The Ukraine war and the collapse of global supply chains would bring further risks.
The federal funds for accommodating the Ukraine displaced persons are not sufficient. “The rental market in North Rhine-Westphalia is largely out of joint, energy costs are rising blatantly,” warned the chairman of the finance committee of the North Rhine-Westphalia district council, Tim Grüttemeier. “The federal and state governments will have to make adjustments here in the foreseeable future.”
In addition, constantly increasing social spending remained a permanent problem for the municipalities. Grüttemeier emphasized that the financial situation will get worse when the aid payments expire next year. He therefore called for a more stable funding basis from federal politicians. Otherwise, the local providers would not be able to shoulder the social burden in the long term.
On Thursday, the city council had already pushed for a quick solution to the billions in old debts. The cities in North Rhine-Westphalia estimate the costs at a total of around 21 billion euros. They too had warned that they would not be able to make the necessary investments without state aid.
