Plan for energy subsidy for students in Maastricht not due until January

Plan for energy subsidy for students in Maastricht not due until January

Council members not happy with alderman

07-12-2022 · News

MAASTRICHT. Maastricht students will have to wait even longer for their energy subsidy. Last October, Alderman Alex Meij told Observant that he would come up with a plan in November, December at the latest. He needs "a little more time for that," he said Tuesday night during the city council meeting. "There will probably be a final plan in January." The City Council reacted with disappointment and anger.

Remarkable is that the alderman is examining all the scenarios, he said after questions from GroenLinks council member Anne Lucas. So also the scenario in which student housing residents who share an energy bill receive compensation. In mid-October, the alderman ruled that out. The municipality will only look at students with independent living quarters and their own energy contracts, he said at the time.

D66 council member Miriam Elfassih reacted with disappointment to the alderman's answer. She finds it "very unfortunate that students have to wait even longer, because the energy crisis is happening right now. I hope that in January we will then have a nice plan to still be able to meet the students' costs."

Martin van Rooij, chairman of M:OED, is not happy, to put it mildly, it appears on the phone Wednesday. "By his own words, the alderman has been working on a plan for months. If you want to radiate that you are on top of it, it should not take so long. Other municipalities paid out months ago." In addition, Van Rooij is unhappy with the course of events. "The alderman knows that this is an important issue for various parties and then we have to hear in a round of questions that there is a delay. Students are literally and figuratively out in the cold. I had hoped we could give them a nice present at Christmas."

Author: Yuri Meesen

Photo: Loraine Bodewes

Tags: energy subsidy,instagram

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