Haaksbergen council agrees to conditions for asylum shelter after referendum

Most members of Haaksbergen’s municipal council trust that the asylum referendum in the Twente municipality was carried out properly and have agreed on a list of criteria to guide the selection of asylum reception sites.

On Wednesday, Haaksbergen residents voted on the arrangements for housing 129 asylum seekers in the municipality. The referendum included four questions about location criteria. The outcome indicates that most voters favor a single central reception center in a more densely populated area.

Since the referendum is non-binding, the municipality is not obliged to follow its outcome. On Wednesday, the council approved a proposal emphasizing that safety is a key factor in selecting a location and that the site must be ready for use when the COA requires it. The chosen location must be available for a period of five years.

Among those opposing the criteria was the VVD faction, which argued that the proposal fails to clearly indicate how the municipality intends to act on the referendum results. Party leader Bart Mentink said he wants the plan explicitly documented. “The outcome of the referendum must not be ignored,” he emphasized.

During the debate, concerns were raised that some residents had not received their voting passes for the referendum. TeamDAP was the only local party to doubt the referendum’s legality. Mayor Gerard van den Hengel (VVD) firmly rejected these claims, confirming that all voting passes had been correctly printed and mailed.