Budget speech: The Left

Dear Mr Mayor
Ladies and Gentlemen of the City Council,
representatives of the press.

A difficult year is drawing to a close. The local authorities have to bear burdens for which they are not primarily responsible. The federal and state governments are leaving the cities and municipalities out in the cold. The past corona crisis is still having an impact, the refugee burden continues, the energy crisis, caused by Russia's attack on Ukraine in violation of international law, continues to result in high costs in all areas.

In addition, there is the inhuman, terrorist attack by Hammas on Israel, which we, and I think I speak for everyone here, condemn in the strongest possible terms.
condemn in the strongest terms. Israel's right to exist is inviolable and of course the country has the right to defend itself against all aggressors. I would like to emphasise that international law must be applied unconditionally. It must be permissible to criticise Israel's military actions.

Despite all the suffering inflicted on the Israeli people, we must not close our eyes to the suffering in Gaza. We also sympathise with the many innocent Palestinian women, men and children who have died, been injured and made homeless by the bombardment. We join the UN Security Council in calling for an immediate ceasefire. As you know, this resolution was blocked by the US veto. Yesterday, the UN General Assembly called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. 155 countries agreed.

10 countries did not vote in favour, including Germany, which abstained. With respect, I think this is a scandal. Forgive me for this brief excursion into global politics. I felt the need to take a stand on this.

Before I come to the budget, please allow me to comment on the length of the meeting. There have been some complaints about the length of council meetings. I do not believe that shortening the speaking time and/or limiting the length of meetings to a certain time is appropriate. The right to speak is a fundamental democratic right to which councillors are entitled. Nevertheless, I would like to ask you, Mr Mayor, to
rules of procedure more strictly. There are clear rules regarding the length of speeches and how often a person may speak on a particular matter.

Let me now turn to the budget. This year's budget does not offer much room for manoeuvre. The budget deficit of 28 million euros is the result of global developments. Despite good tax revenues, it is not enough to balance the budget. We have a fundamental structural problem between income and expenditure. But how do we deal with this problem? Do we cut spending? If so, which ones? Urgent investment in existing buildings is essential. Many schools are in a miserable state. No savings should be made here. Digital equipment in schools is a must. We are on the right track here.

Bridges, roads and cycle paths need to be renovated. Capital expenditure is not the problem. Last year, we introduced a debt sustainability ratio. As long as amortisation is greater than depreciation, everything is in the green zone. It is precisely this area that is still green in our city. The biggest problem is the ongoing consumption costs. Rising personnel costs, social expenditure, expenditure on refugees and many voluntary services such as sport and culture. These decisions are not easy for any of us.

I would therefore like to thank everyone involved for the sensible budget consultations. The budget readings initiated by the administration have proven to be a good method. Applications were submitted digitally. Introducing this system was and is a huge challenge for our administration. All applications were brought together and organised in blocks. This meant that the preliminary vote in the main and finance committee could be processed quickly. We realised that there was consensus on most of the proposals. There were no cancellations in the social sector or in education. As the Left Party, we are very pleased that our proposals have been incorporated into the budget almost in full or with adjustments.

The postponement of around 700,000 euros for the costs of the new weir was postponed to next year at our request. This decision has made it possible to include a number of cost-intensive measures in the budget with only a marginal deterioration in the result of around 10,000 euros. Mr Mayor, we will vote in favour of the budget.

But how do we solve the problem of the structural deficit in our budget? As already mentioned, we cannot make savings in many areas, so we have to improve the revenue side. First and foremost, we need to make the city centre more attractive. This includes reducing car traffic in the heart of the city centre. We consider the ecological upgrading of the city centre through more greenery and a natural flow of the Bocholter Aa, without a weir, to be the right approach.

The city centre - Aasee axis can be ecologically enhanced by the natural flow of water. We therefore continue to call for the dam to be removed. The city centre must be revitalised and made more attractive. The most important element in the city centre is our town hall, not the historic one.
historical building. A town hall for the citizens with a large modern theatre from which everyone can benefit, culture and administration
in one place. It is now incredibly important to deal transparently with the issue of the town hall.

I appeal to everyone. - Don't talk down the project. Explain to people why we have decided to renovate the town hall. The former city savings bank project is moving in the right direction. If this area now becomes car-free - delivery traffic must of course be guaranteed - it will be a big step towards making the city centre more attractive. What other opportunities are there? We need to support small and medium-sized businesses, the catering trade and all tradespeople. Support can also be provided through so-called soft business location factors.

These would be: Creating affordable housing with a good transport infrastructure. Public transport plays a major role here. Only when this is free of charge in the future will there be an alternative to the car. Art, culture and a large sports programme enhance a city. A sufficient number of daycare places must be available. Religion must not play a role in the allocation of places. Let me briefly take up the subject of sport.

We have the great opportunity to build a sports performance centre for football at Hünting, and here I am referring in particular to women's football. 1. FC Bocholt has the chance to move up to the third Bundesliga. The club has a 5-year plan to achieve this goal. Football can be an important economic factor. One example is SC Preußen Münster. This club was promoted to the third Bundesliga last year. The city of Münster has invested millions in the expansion of the stadium. A study by the University of Münster has shown that up to 25 million euros in additional revenue per season flowed into Münster as a result of the promotion. The amounts are made up of hotel bookings, travel events, catering, merchandising, etc. This opportunity is also available in Bocholt.

Another urgent measure is the upgrading of the industrial area through a railway connection. Especially in the context of sustainability assessments, it is becoming increasingly interesting for companies to transport their goods by rail. Investment is needed to generate more revenue.

I have come to the end of my speech. But I would like to say one more thing. It was a special experience to see that all parliamentary groups, from the Left Party to the CDU, can work together on this issue. We have tackled the refugee problem in Biemenhorst together. That is what characterises our town. On behalf of my extended parliamentary group, I would particularly like to thank all the staff in the administration.

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year