Municipalities seek hundreds of millions for crisis resilience
The VNG says the available national contribution is insufficient for local preparations for cyberattacks, wildfires and other crises.
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Municipalities say they need far more money to protect residents and vital services from disasters and threats. The Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG) says hundreds of millions of euros are necessary, while the government has set aside tens of millions.
The appeal emerged on Saturday in an NOS report on local resilience. Municipalities are preparing, among other things, for cyber and hybrid threats, prolonged outages of electricity or telecommunications, and wildfires that may be harder to control because of drought and heat.
VNG chair Sharon Dijksma said municipalities need many times the amount included in the Miljoenennota. Among other things, the association wants to be able to fund neighbourhood emergency plans, training for residents, emergency generators, satellite phones and walkie-talkies.
According to NOS, the government has made €35 million available for emergency support hubs. In addition, a rising amount of €20 million to €70 million is planned for digital and social resilience and the continuity of local government.
Emergency support hubs must provide residents with information and practical assistance during a prolonged crisis. The national plans also mention possible functions such as communication during power cuts and, where necessary, the distribution of scarce essential supplies. Implementation will take place together with the safety regions and municipalities.
The question of who pays for this preparation is being raised before the question of exactly how great the risk is. The national government points to geopolitical tensions, climate change and recent disasters. Municipalities stress that they are the first level of government, close to residents and businesses, but that many facilities exceed their financial capacity.
The discussion is therefore not only about fire engines or emergency communications. Municipalities also want to invest in social cohesion, because they believe it determines how quickly neighbourhoods organise help during a crisis and recover after a disaster. The government has not yet pledged a new amount matching the VNG’s estimate.
Earlier agreements between the Ministry of Justice and Security, the Safety Board and the VNG provide for funding that could rise structurally to €70 million from 2027. That amount is intended for several aspects of local resilience and is not the same as the hundreds of millions municipalities are now requesting.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Municipalities are asking for more money for local and regional resilience.
- The government has set aside funding for emergency support hubs and other forms of resilience.
- The national plans mention cyber threats, power cuts and wildfires among the risks.
- The VNG and the government disagree about the scale of the funding required.
Left
Arguments Resilience is a basic public service and must not depend on the wealth of individual municipalities. The national government must provide structural funding, with additional attention to vulnerable neighbourhoods and residents who are less able to cope independently in a crisis.
Values Solidarity, equal protection, public services and social cohesion.
Consequences The Left fears that municipalities without sufficient funding will scale back emergency plans and social support, leaving vulnerable residents to bear the greatest risks.
Centre
Arguments A joint approach is necessary, but additional funding must be tied to clear standards, risk analyses and evaluation. The national government, safety regions and municipalities must first establish which facilities are needed everywhere and where local tailoring is sufficient.
Values Efficiency, practicality, institutional cooperation and accountable spending.
Consequences The centre warns both against underinvestment and against fragmented programmes that cost a great deal without demonstrable improvement.
Right
Arguments Municipalities must have their core responsibilities in order and should also expect citizens to take responsibility for the initial period of a crisis. The national government can provide targeted support for national threats, but must prevent every local wish from automatically becoming a permanent national expenditure.
Values Individual responsibility, financial discipline, security and an effective government.
Consequences The Right fears higher taxes, bureaucracy and dependence on The Hague when local authorities receive additional funding without clear priorities.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The financial amounts and proposed facilities can be found in NOS reporting and official national government documents. The contrast between municipal needs and the available budget is described as an administrative disagreement, not as an independent cost calculation.
- confirmed The VNG says municipalities need hundreds of millions for local resilience. — NOS quotes VNG chair Sharon Dijksma giving this order of magnitude. source
- confirmed The government has made €35 million available for emergency support hubs. — Mentioned in NOS reporting on the municipal appeal. source
- confirmed Structural funding could rise to €70 million from 2027. — Mentioned in the administrative agreements between the national government, the Safety Board and the VNG. source
- confirmed Emergency support hubs are intended to provide information and assistance during prolonged outages or crises. — Description in the national budget and the official agreements on local resilience. source
Editor's note
The amounts and the VNG’s estimate are attributed to sources. The article distinguishes between existing national government funding, planned structural funding and the greater need reported by municipalities.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- NRC — „gemeenten weerbaarheid”
- NU.nl — „gemeenten weerbaarheid”
- De Telegraaf — „gemeenten weerbaarheid”