John Berends has temporarily resigned as the King’s Commissioner in Gelderland following accusations of inappropriate behavior in the workplace. Berends is stepping down pending the outcome of an investigation into the allegations, he said in a press statement.
It can make thousands of euros difference for the buyers of a newly built home in which municipality their house is built. The costs that municipalities charge for applying for construction permits vary greatly per location, according to calculations from the interest association for homeowners VEH. Between the cheapest and most expensive municipalities, the cost difference on construction permits for a home costing 300,000 euros even amounts to 10,000 euros.
Housing rental agents still contribute to discrimination in the housing market. New research shows that 73 percent of rental agents would not immediately refuse landlords’ requests not to rent a home to people with a non-Dutch background. Over a third of the intermediaries surveyed (37 percent) are actually prepared not to rent homes to Moroccans, Turks, or Poles. That is evident from the third national study into discrimination in residential rental, which outgoing Minister Hugo de Jonge (Public Housing) sent to parliament.
The Netherlands urgently needs to allow more housing developments outside major cities, for example on the outskirts of Almere where more space is available, said Ruud Joosten, the CEO of BAM, the country's largest construction company. "There are currently mainly inner-city housing construction developments. These are often small projects with only 30 homes,” he noted.
After hours of discussions in a crisis-like atmosphere, the Cabinet has not yet reached an agreement on a new policy regarding the approach to migration and a package of measures to better handle the influx of asylum seekers. Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the leader of the VVD, would not elaborate on details about the Cabinet meeting, and he would not discuss possible steps taken on Thursday evening. D66 leader Sigrid Kaag said the meeting late on Thursday, which spilled into the early hours on Friday, consisted of "good talks" which have not yet led to a breakthrough.