Council meeting in a nutshell - July 8 and 10, 2025

Administrative Integrity, policy plan and codes of conduct for council and college members

There are agreements about how administrators should act honestly and reliably. Such as codes of conduct for council members, aldermen and the mayor. There is also a plan to implement these rules properly and a hotline for when something goes wrong. It was pointed out that it is important to discuss this regularly so that it does not just remain a nice policy plan.
 

Nota 'The social base in Voorne aan Zee 2025-2030'

The municipality has made a plan to improve social life in the municipality from 2025 to 2030. This plan is called the "Nota Sociale Basis." The goal is for residents to cooperate more and help each other. Examples include improving meeting places, support for family caregivers, volunteer work and combating loneliness. The municipality also wants to make neighborhoods and villages friendlier for people with dementia. The municipality is working with various organizations to implement this plan. In 2027, the municipality will review what is going well and what could be improved with the goal of making Voorne aan Zee socially stronger and reducing the cost of Health.
 

Amendment: preservation of meeting places

The City Council unanimously approved the amendment "Preserving Meeting Places," which was also embraced by the college. This emphasizes how important community centers and community rooms are for meeting, information and activities in the neighborhood. The municipality will map all meeting places, monitor their use and make clear arrangements for opening locations. This should ensure that meeting places remain available to residents, even if they are used less intensively.
 

Multiyear Program of Land Operations Voorne aan Zee 2025

The municipality has created a new plan for all land projects, such as housing and business parks. This plan is called the Multiyear Program for Land Operations (MPG). It states what is being done, what it costs, what it will yield and what risks there are.
The municipality continues with ongoing projects, such as Dorpshart Zwartewaal and Kickersbloem 3, and is preparing new projects in Hellevoetsluis and Vierpolders, among others. 

Council meeting July 10

Speaking Rights

A speaker called attention to the Rainbow Accord in relation to the framework memo. There was a plea for recognition, using a rainbow crosswalk as an example. This is a symbolic message that is important for visibility and inclusion. During the council meeting, the timeline was agreed upon between the college and city council (quarter 4 2025) and a commitment was made to construct the crosswalk by Oct. 1, 2025.

Framework memorandum 2026: plans for the future

The municipality has prepared the 2026 Framework Memorandum. This document looks ahead to the financial policies for 2026 and the years after (2027-2029). It is an overview of projected revenues, expenditures and the choices needed to make the budget. The memo shows that a small deficit is expected for 2026, but that the financial situation for the coming years remains largely stable. 

During the discussion of the framework memorandum, the city council expressed concerns about the coming year and gave several points of interest to the college. Important themes are the maintenance of greenery and roads, land projects, safe living and limiting cuts in the social domain, education, Health and safety. Also highlighted were the high staff workload, the need for regional cooperation, low charges for residents and solutions to the housing shortage. The city council and the college appreciate the involvement of residents in thinking about budget cuts. And emphasized the importance of village and neighborhood councils, sports, meeting and a future-oriented approach to municipal real estate.

Motions and Amendments

One amendment and the following motions were adopted during consideration of the framework memo.

Amendment: Certainty for business owners on tourist tax

The City Council unanimously passed an amendment to provide clarity to tourism business owners on the 2026 tourism tax. This will give business owners the certainty they need to communicate their rates in a timely manner.

Motion: more time for Health

This unanimously passed motion calls for reducing paperwork in Health. This includes fewer retests and simpler rules so that health care providers can spend more time on Health for people. It calls for the college to develop a plan by 2026 and regularly update the council on progress and results.

Motion: housing truly affordable

De gemeenteraad heeft een motie aangenomen die oproept tot de bouw van jaarlijks 50 betaalbare woningen voor ouderen (< € 300.000) en starters (< € 250.000). Dit zorgt ervoor dat zowel starters als ouderen meer kans hebben op een woning. 

Motion: making space for each other

Elderly people should be supported to move into senior rental housing so that larger houses will be available for families and first-time buyers. In addition, the municipality will do more to buy land to build more houses.

Motion: sober housing for status holders

The motion calls for housing status holders in temporary, sober housing. The college will make a proposal for sober housing, costs and Requirements. 

Motion: depreciate municipal housing company properties with a residual value 

A motion was passed unanimously to adjust the depreciation of housing owned by the Woonbedrijf. The college will make a plan by October 2025 detailing the pros and cons. 

Municipality buys corn mill in Oostvoorne

The municipality is buying the corn mill and adjacent properties on Molendijk in Oostvoorne. The mill (cultural heritage) will remain accessible to the community with plans for a visitor center and social activities.

In addition, the following decisions were made:

• Resignation, at his own request, of committee member José Wille and appointment of new committee member Veronika Essers for the PVaZ group.
• Viewpoint budget DCMR 2026.
• Ordinance (street) names and house numbers Voorne aan Zee 2025.
• Renovation of association building Rockanje soccer club.
• Renovation semi-public pupil field Brielle.
• Annual Reports Joint Scheme for Youth Aid Rijnmond (GRJR).
• Approval of budget 2026 basic package joint arrangement GGD Rotterdam Rijnmond and annual report 2024.
• Draft program budget 2026 and financial statements 2024 Recreatieschap Voorne-Putten.
• 1st Budget Amendment 2025 and Budget 2026 Collaborative Real Estate Information Levy and Valuation (SVHW).
• Viewing procedure 2nd budget amendment 2025 and budget 2026 Rotterdam Rijnmond Safety Region (VRR).
• Syntrophos financial statements.
• Financial records Regional Archives.
• Update Long-Term Agenda.
• Local Broadcaster.
• 1st Board Report 2025.

More information or the full documents can be accessed via the Voorne aan Zee council information system website