Amsterdam needs up to 12 weeks to catch up on unpaid invoices; Alderman won’t resign
It could take the municipality of Amsterdam until May 19 to pay the many thousands of outstanding invoices that arose when the implementation of its new payment system did not go as planned on January 1, responsible alderman Hester van Buren (Finance) told AT5. She added that she hasn’t considered resigning.
Van Buren called May 19 the worst-case scenario, stressing that it doesn’t mean that all entrepreneurs will have to wait another 12 weeks before the city pays their invoices. “Because we are also looking at the priorities,” she said. “We want to take unorthodox measures. Especially entrepreneurs who get into trouble, they should of course get their invoices paid sooner.”
The city’s issues with paying freelancers, consultants, and other entrepreneurs for services rendered arose on January 1, when it switched to a new payment system. The transfer of the invoices from the old system to the new system was taking longer than expected. In early February, Van Buren reported that the city had approximately 43,000 invoices that still needed to be paid. Of these, around 27,000 invoices were in arrears. The municipality receives around 25,000 invoices per month.
The alderman acknowledged to AT5 that the issues came to light too late. Van Buren was only informed by civil servants at the end of January, when the backlog was already enormous. But she hasn’t considered resigning. “Because I have only been busy solving the problem. I know what I am doing. I know what I am doing as alderman. So I have not doubted my position. I have taken responsibility. Taking responsibility also means solving the problem. And making sure that there is a crisis team and making sure that work is done.”
Van Buren said she understands the criticism from the city council, particularly from the opposition parties. She will likely face critical questions again on Wednesday during the municipal council meeting. The VVD and CDA have indicated that they were considering submitting a motion of censure against Van Buren.
