What does your party stand for?

The Hague VVD stands for three main things, firstly, safety and security. There should be more investment in public safety, such as more controllers on the trams and other public transport. There is a problem with coffee shops too. Parties like D66 and the PvdA want to move them into residential areas such as the Bezuidenhout and the Statenkwartier, we are against that.

I want to warn the people living in these areas and tell these parties not to move the coffee shops closer to where our kids live.

Secondly, taxes. We want to lower municipal taxes on housing, businesses and tourists. Wages are not rising at the moment, due to the recession, and we want people to keep their spending power. People know best how to spend their own money they don’t need the municipality doing for them. The amount of money for the municipal budget from the federal coffers is going to go down. Tough decisions have to be made about which projects receive funding and which ones do not.

Thirdly, the VVD aims for a strong economy and employment. We want to make sure The Hague comes out of the financial crisis stronger not weaker. We will emphasise supporting companies, employment and the quality of living of Hague residents. This also involves investing in mobility such as roads and public transport.

Out of all the parties fighting this election, the VVD is the only one that has presented a budget for roads and public transport. I am stunned that other parties come up with ideas but do not tell the voters how they intend to finance them.

Some people associate Expats simply with profit, employment and opportunity for The Hague, does your party?

No, my party gives a warm welcome to internationals living here and we want to ensure they have a good standard of living. Over the last two decades we have invested heavily to ensure The Hague lives up to the motto of International City of Peace and Justice. Although the economic benefit is clear, we do not associate Expats with dollar signs. We are simply upholding and enriching our cities international heritage. To do this we are making sure that among other things, international schools are well supported in The Hague such as the French, German, British and American schools, just to name some. Also, we have invested in improvements in health care and hospitals in the city, so international feel more comfortable and secure when they need medical help.

How can The Hague be included on the HSL line?

I don’t think at this stage it is possible to change the fact that The Hague was bypassed. But what we can do is make sure a quality shuttle connection exists to make sure the journey to Rotterdam to catch the HSL goes smoothly.

Who is your greatest opposition?

The PvdA. Historically, they have been our greatest opposition party.

What are some of the issues you believe Expats care deeply about?

Well, when I talk to them, I hear that they genuinely want the same things as everyone else. A good standard of living, easy transport access and safety and security. One of the things we really must improve over the next four years is that people feel safer in The Hague. It is also imperative that we keep the focus on being an international city. We cannot expect someone living here for three years to speak Dutch. We need international facilities; hospitals, schools and we want this example to spread to the entire Netherlands. Especially regarding better immigration procedures for Expats.

Another concern of ours is that the National Cabinet is planning to cut the budget for police. My party wants to expand that budget, especially locally here in The Hague.

What are your dreams for the city over the coming five years?

I truly believe that we must come out of this recession stronger and not weaker. Wise decisions must be made to deal with the lower budget we will have to work with. We must keep enhancing the city’s status, but that takes investment. One example of this is education. We have begun collaboration with Leiden University by establishing a Hague campus. This was the first step to bringing in quality learning institutions to The Hague and we want to expand on this.

We really need a more welcoming policy for attracting highly educated immigrants in general. I would love to have more public discussion on how to make immigration procedures easier for employees of international organisations.

By Andrew Balcombe

More information on the Municipal elections can be found in our Election Special section.

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