Summary coalition agreement

The 3 most important questions this coalition must answer are:

• How do we treat each other?
• How do we treat the environment?
• How do we want to work?

To address these questions, the coalition partners have identified nine themes. These themes will have our extra attention over the coming four years. They are also vital for the development of Wageningen. The nine themes are often interrelated. This demands a broad perspective from the board, the council and the entire municipal organisation. This will only succeed if we work with partners in the city, the region and other authorities such as the province of Gelderland.

Over the past few years, we have formed our opinion on topics (vision) and plans have been made. The new Municipal Executive Council and alderman particularly aim to carry out the plans that are already in place. We also want to make faster decisions when it comes to key themes that impact all residents of Wageningen.

There are some concerns about the municipal organisation. Over the past few years, employees have been given many extra tasks. Due to corona and the many job vacancies, we do not have enough people to do the work. There is still much we want to do. And new employees are hard to find. If necessary, we will have to establish priorities and decide what items will have to wait. .

In Wageningen, we are collaborating on creating a diverse and inclusive city. This means: A city where everyone can be themselves, everyone can participate and everyone is equal. We will also combat discrimination in various ways. The fight against discrimination never ends. That is why we want to have one vision, ambition and policy for the municipal organisation, service and the city as a whole. We will shape this policy together with the residents and the organisations.

All the residents of Wageningen deserve equal opportunities. All the children of Wageningen must be able to grow up as healthy and happy as possible. We want everyone to feel free to be themselves. So that everyone can use their talents to give meaning to their lives. Insofar as possible, we will try to eliminate money problems that stand in the way of this. We want to ensure that every resident is financially stable for the long term. We do this by helping our residents find work whenever possible. For those who are not able to paid work, we check if financial support is possible. If residents have any debs we check with you how to bring your financial situation back in control. And better still: how we can prevent the accrual of debt in the first place. 

We want to ensure there is stuffiest affordable housing in our city. That every resident of Wageningen has good, sustainable and affordable housing. This means that the waiting lists for social housing must be shortened. And that we need to build new housing. It is vital that everyone here has access to affordable, suitable and sustainable housing. Housing in green neighbourhoods where there is enough room for people to meet.

We are in the middle of a housing crisis. Not only in Wageningen, but throughout the entire Netherlands, there is a lack of affordable housing. We aim to build 3000 new homes before 2030. We are doing everything we can to develop these in the city. If we are unable to build 3000 new homes in the city, we will consider a small expansion around the city limits.

We want Wageningen to be an example of an economy that takes man, climate and nature into account. Where we reuse raw materials as much as possible. Together with the WUR and other organisations, we want to continue to work on the developments we have in mind. We need a stuffiest number of small and medium-sized companies with good personnel. This is how we can change our economy when it comes to energy, food and agriculture, for example. We are making every effort to reach out to smaller businesses. We prefer to meet them at their own locations. We are committed to creating as many jobs as possible for our residents. This particularly applies to residents with technical training. Employers in Wageningen will be supported by the creation of additional workplaces. These workplaces are geared towards people who find it difficult to find work.

Culture and sport are very important. We want to ensure that everyone in Wageningen can play sports and participate in cultural events. Active associations and a flourishing (sports) culture are a part of this.

There is still too little to do for young people in Wageningen. We intend to pay special attention to this. We will continue to carry out actions as described in the Culture Action Plan. We will closely monitor the progress made in this area. If necessary, we will adapt the Plan accordingly along the way.

The sports policy will be re-examined. How we will invest in the sports sector will depend on the research findings.

We want to approach local, top athletes to become ambassadors to encourage our young people to exercise.

The climate is changing and this does not bode well for the biodiversity (various kinds of plants and animals in nature).

We have the next 8 years to make big strides to ensure that the earth does not warm up any further.  We aim to expedite the energy-saving plans and means of sustainably generating energy.

We are currently reviewing the possibilities of generating energy via wind mills. We want to end our reliance on natural gas as quickly as possible. That is why we are making it easier for residents (tenants, owners and companies) to participate in the energy transition.

The climate is changing now: when it rains, it rains harder, and when there is drought, it stays dry longer. We want to make sure Wageningen is prepared for these changes. We want all our residents to live in a healthy, green environment. We want there to be more opportunity for locally-grown food. We also aim to bolster the biodiversity in the municipality and surroundings.

We want to encourage the use of sustainable transport. The municipal zoning and landscaping plans, for example, are geared towards giving priority to pedestrians and cyclists. We want to improve the quality of public transport. We want to encourage the use of electric, shared cars. We will create plenty of safe areas where you can park your bicycle in the centre. We are also looking for solutions for parking your car in the centre.

The city centre is the beating heart of Wageningen. It is the one place where everyone gets together. There, we enjoy our heritage, culture, restaurants and shops. It is also a place where we live and work. The city is a beacon for freedom, knowledge about food and sustainability. The inner city will be made even more green. The culture and our heritage will be reinforced. We are giving restaurant owners, shop owners and tradesman opportunities to help their customers and guests.

In Wageningen, we run the city together. Residents, organisations and companies feel like equal partners in our community. This also applies to local politics, including the municipal organisation. Challenges will be addressed together. The knowledge Wageningers possess will be utilised to improve how we make and implement decisions.