Amsterdam student wants municipality to pay him energy allowance, goes to court

A student from Amsterdam will face off against the municipality in court on January 31 regarding the payment of an energy allowance. With the support of legal aid organization Legal Advice Wanted, he wants the municipality to pay him the energy allowance given to some people in 2022.

Last year, people with a low income were able to apply for a one-time energy allowance of 1,300 euros to help cover increased heating costs, and other energy bills. In most municipalities, however, students were not eligible for this scheme. They were able to try to get an allowance via individual special assistance, but this is subject to strict conditions.

However, students found this unfair. After all, they also generally have little money at their disposal, while the cost of energy has also risen for them. The court in Arnhem previously ruled that students could not be excluded from the allowance after a student from Nijmegen filed a lawsuit over the issue. Some municipalities have subsequently decided to make the energy allowance available to students as well, but not all.

In Amsterdam, for example, students can only receive extra money from the municipality if they apply for special assistance. However, this claim is subject to the stricter income limit than the energy allowance, explained legal expert Jaap Kotteman of Legal Advice Wanted. In addition, the city councils of several municipalities, including Amsterdam, have already informed the Cabinet that the municipalities are not able to help students through special assistance.

Legal Advice Wanted, which also advises the National Student Union (LSVb) on the energy subsidy, now wants to force the municipality through legal action to pay out the 1,300 euros after all. The firm already helped around 10,000 students nationwide to receive energy subsidies and a total of around 30 court cases are planned for the near future in various municipalities.

Kotteman, however, believes that the verdict in the Amsterdam case will set the tone for the actions of other municipalities. If the student is proven right, he expects other municipalities to change their minds as well.

The LSVb also expressed hope that not every municipality will have to go to court in order to get an energy allowance for students. "In Nijmegen, the door was left open for a national regulation," said chairman Joram van Velzen. "Amsterdam has a chance to open that door a little wider."

The Hague claimed that almost everyone who qualified for an energy subsidy received it. About 50,000 households received the amount, 99 percent of those eligible, according to the municipality.

In The Hague, for instance, the amount involved is 1,400 euros, with the municipality contributing an amount out of its own pocket in addition to the government money. But there were no students among The Hague's 50,000 households. However, it is one of the municipalities where they can receive an allowance through special assistance.