Labour party leaving expensive Amsterdam canal office

The PvdA is exchanging its large and expensive office on the Herengracht for a building that is cheaper and more accessible, party chairman Hans Spekman announced on Friday. "The canal building is way too expensive", he said to news wire ANP. According to Spekman, the office space on the canal costs the party an annual 540 thousand euros in rent. "I find that way too much money. The money comes from the dues of members, and we have to deal with it sparingly." Spekman also cites the building's inaccessibility to people with mobility problems as a reason to move. "Quite often we had to have a few employees lift people in wheelchairs off the stairs. And that of course is impossible." The PvdA is now looking for alternative accommodations, which must be found before October 1st.