Lively municipal elections debate at Utrecht University Hall

The hall was packed with students last Wednesday as candidates from GroenLinks-PvdA, Student & Starter, D66, ChristenUnie and VVD went head-to-head. They gathered at Utrecht University Hall at the invitation of the student organisations Utrecht Union, the USC debate club, d’ADC, and the Federation of Utrecht Social Clubs (F.U.G.).

Before the debate began, the moderator urged the audience not to clap or cheer. “This way, we can keep the debate clear and easy for everyone to follow.” The evening proceeded in a civilised and calm manner. The prospective councillors emphasised several times that they wished to take a nuanced view of issues. Nevertheless, there was a distinctly student-like atmosphere, with candidates frequently citing personal stories from their student days.

Construction or liveability?
Housing seems to be the central theme of these elections. All parties believe the city needs more homes to be built. The main point of discussion was whether the municipality of Utrecht should ensure that at least 40 per cent of new-build projects consist of social housing. That is significantly higher than the 30 per cent required nationally.

Iris Vergeer, number 19 on the GroenLinks-PvdA list in Utrecht, takes the most radical stance in the debate. She wants 90 per cent of new-build homes in Utrecht to be affordable: 45 per cent social housing and 45 per cent mid-range rentals. The VVD lead candidate Tess Meerding is critical of that idea, describing the GroenLinks-PvdA plan as “sympathetic but unrealistic" because housing projects “cannot get off the ground that way and developers would be put off.”

Aileen Siedenburg, number 2 on the Student & Starter list, accuses GroenLinks-PvdA of opting for owner-occupied homes rather than rental properties, when push comes to shove. She is referring to a bill by the PvdA from earlier this year, which led to the cancellation of construction plans for 50 homes in Daalsepark, some of which were to be social housing. Instead, six expensive owner-occupied homes and a small park were built. GroenLinks-PvdA candidate Vergeer deflected Siedenburg’s attack on Wednesday evening by saying: “The area around Daalsepark is one of the most built-up places in Utrecht.” According to her, that's why GroenLinks-PvdA preferred homes with more green space.

Vergeer's answer highlights a dilemma: to what extent should housing construction be allowed to come at the expense of greenery and the city’s liveability? Derk van Bergen, leader of ChristenUnie, wants to prevent housing construction from exacerbating the climate crisis. “Otherwise, we’ll soon have an awful lot of houses, but that will have come at the expense of liveability.” According to the Student & Starter party, however, the housing crisis is so urgent that green spaces and quality of life must give way to housing construction. Candidate Siedenburg believes that “as many homes as possible” should be built. She also advocates for more efficient use of space: “If you can split or share a home, do it.”

Prevention or enforcement?
During the debate, VVD emerged as a staunch advocate of tougher action against unsafe areas in the city. Party leader Meerding cited Lucas Bolwerk as a location that requires a more repressive approach against nuisance. According to Van Bergen (ChristenUnie), there appears to be a “taboo” at the city council against taking firm action against nuisance.

VVD also accuses the other three parties of taking a cowardly approach to crime. According to Vergeer, from GroenLinks-PvdA, VVD and ChristenUnie are painting a wrong picture of her party. "It's not true that we don't want to fight crime. If a situation gets out of hand, you have to do something.”

Towards the end of the debate, the prospective councillors discussed the riots in Overvecht earlier this week. Suddenly, the parties were united in their condemnation of what happened there. Young people pelted the police with fireworks and vandalised a city bus. Gijs Toussaint, number 8 on the D66 list: “We were just discussing this amongst ourselves in the hallway. Violence against the police can absolutely never be tolerated. Even the parties advocating prevention are in favour of a tough response when people pull stunts like this.”

Car-free city centre or cheap beer?
Finally, they discussed whether the city centre should become completely car-free. Almost all parties appear to be in favour of banning cars in favour of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. GroenLinks-PvdA, however, advocates for a significant exception: in their view, the city centre should remain accessible by car for people with disabilities.

VVD appears to be the only party explicitly opposed to a car-free city centre. They are concerned about the businesses that need to be supplied. VVD lead candidate Meerding quoted her party’s Utrecht list-topping candidate, the owner of the Dikke Dries pub. According to her, he warned that “pubs and cafés that provide a convivial atmosphere will no longer be able to exist” if "this left-wing council goes ahead with its anti-car policy”.

Christian Union leader Van Bergen was annoyed at the “superlatives” used by VVD in this part of the debate. He says he also wants to take supply routes into account, but with nuance. The Christian Union leader then gave an example from his own student days, when he was a member of a society on Oudegracht. “The beer was delivered via the canals.” GroenLinks-PvdA also advocates transferring goods to smaller vehicles just outside the city centre. Entrepreneurs could also use cargo bikes, according to Vergeer.

Meerding (VVD) reacted scornfully to that last proposal: “I don’t know how you’re going to deliver a crate of beer on a cargo bike, but that seems rather difficult to me.” According to her, many business owners are concerned about the council’s policy. Meerding concludes by addressing the students like a populist demagogue: “So if these parties remain in power, your beer will become more expensive.”

In response to the moderator’s final question about what message the politicians have for the students, they all seem to agree: “Make sure you vote.” Toussaint (D66): “It is incredibly important that young people’s voices are heard in our municipality. I am certain that the people sitting here at this table will commit themselves to that.”