Uproar because of D66 alderman who declared € 10,000 for “temporary housing”

Monique Esselbrugge has not made herself popular. The alderman of the political party D66 allegedly declared € 100,000 for “temporary housing” in Eindhoven in a period of less than a year. But why?

Reasoning of alderman Monique Esselbrugge

An alderman is obliged to live in the place where he or she works. In the case of Esselbrugge, that is the Brabant city of Eindhoven. She herself comes from Nijmegen, where she wants to continue living, which forced her to find a house in Eindhoven.

Esselbrugge says she cannot sell her house in Nijmegen because her daughters still live at home and she is a co-parent. According to her spokesperson, she commutes between Eindhoven and Nijmegen in the meantime. On a 50:50 basis. She has declared the costs she incurred for the rent of her apartment in Eindhoven. That would be about € 10,000 in less than a year.

In addition, she also claimed € 1,180 for commuting, according to an overview that the municipality has compiled at the request of the ED.

Last week, the alderman of the city council received an exemption for another year to continue living in Nijmegen, but various parties voted against this. Jacco Rubenkamp, ​​party leader of Volt Eindhoven, thinks it is only normal that aldermen live in the city where they work: “Besides the point of expenses, it is also important to live in the city. If you go to the local supermarket, you will hear what is going on. You cannot imitate or imitate such feelers.”

“Then why don’t you pay for it yourself?”

Although the SP voted for the exemption, they remain critical. “If the family situation does not allow a move, why don’t you pay for it yourself?”, SP Eindhoven party chairman Murat Memis wondered aloud.

Monique Esselbrugge finds it regrettable that her private situation has resulted in a political discussion. Despite the discussion, this is not a first in Eindhoven. Fellow CDA member Maes van Lanschot claimed € 2,800 for train travel costs and mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem moved to Eindhoven two months after his appointment. In the meantime, he slept in a hotel and claimed a total of more than € 6,400 for this.