Leefbaar Rotterdam

Chaos reigns at the Prins Alexander location of joint vocational education institution Zadkine-Albeda in Rotterdam. According to a whistleblower, there is drug dealing everywhere and having sex in the bathroom is a regular activity. Leefbaar Rotterdam city councilor Jari Esbeukman submitted written questions about this to the city council, the Telegraaf reports. 

Over two months after the municipal elections in March, Rotterdam still doesn't have a new city government. Coalition talks now started between the VVD, D66, GroenLinks, PvdA and ChristenUnie-SGP. Leefbaar Rotterdam, which came out as the biggest party in the city after the elections, is not part of the negotiations, NOS reports.

The six parties together have 23 seats on the municipal council, the smallest possible majority on a council with 45 seats. Previous negotiations stranded when GroenLinks, PvdA and D66 could not agree to forming a coalition with Leefbaar and VVD.

Rotterdam opened a special "neighborhood" where people who cause a lot of trouble to their neighbors will go to learn how to behave. The "Skaeve Huse" consists of 11 container homes on an industrial estate near the airport. While living there, counselors will attempt to teach people accused of being difficult residents how to behave more responsibly so that they can move back into normal neighborhoods, NOS reports.

Political party Leefbaar Rotterdam plans to give some 40 thousand employed Rotterdam residents with a low income a 'work bonus' of 50 euros. A number of other parties in the city are critical of the plan, calling it an election stunt and stigmatizing to people living on welfare, NOS reports.

The PVV is turning its attention to local governments. Next year the anti-Islam party wants to participate in municipal elections in Rotterdam, Enschede, Almelo, Twenterand and Urk, party leader Geert Wilders announced on Twitter on Saturday. The party will also participate in The Hague and Almere. 

Until now the PVV was only represented in the city councils of The Hague and Almere, according to the Volkskrant. But in December the party announced a change in strategy. The PVV wants to be part of at least five to ten municipalities per province. 

The PVV hopes to take many voters from local parties in the municipal elections in 2018, leader Geert Wilders said in a interview with AD over the weekend. Many local parties aren't too worried about this strategy, Trouw reports after speaking to them.'

The PVV shares views with many local parties, Wilders said in the interview. "We already hear of people who want to change", he said. So far the far-right party was only active in The Hague and Almere. "But people want more. I notice that there is a need." 

Vandalism in Rotterdam around New Year's cost the municipality at least half a million euros. This includes some 340 thousand euros and damages and costs in cleanup and repairs

According to Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, everyone should be searched during preventive frisk-actions, including grannies.

Aldermen and Mayors of 24 municipalities in The Netherlands have sent a letter to the State Secretary of Economic Affairs, Sharon Dijksma (PvdA) asking for urgency in the matter of banning wild animals from circuses.

Harbor bosses in Rotterdam's port are worried about the effect that the trade war against Russia will have on Dutch business. The Russian Shtandart oil terminal deal in the Rotterdam harbor is at the brink of collapse, which the harbor managers say is bad news for the city.

The city of Rotterdam is planning to construct an area outside the city in which asocial families will be placed in twenty containers. Leader of Leefbaar Rotterdam, Joost Eerdmans, says that families who are "too intelligent for the psychiatric clinic, not criminal enough for jail, but too dangerous for the neighborhood" will be made to live in this Container Town.