Peter Reekmans, the mayor of Glabbeek in Flemish Brabant, has criticised the Flemish Government’s new targets for social housing, arguing they are unachievable due to poor management and excessive bureaucracy.
The Flemish Government announced a plan on Friday aimed at reducing long waiting lists for social housing. By 2042, 56,000 new social housing units must be added, with financial penalties for municipalities that fail to comply.
Currently, the Binding Social Objective requires municipalities to create a specific number of social rental units, with a goal of 50,000 extra homes by the end of this year. However, only 35,000 have been built so far. Reekmans finds it unacceptable that the government is increasing targets while the existing ones remain unmet.
Glabbeek has no social housing, but the mayor blames this on the Flemish Social Housing Company (VMSW) and restrictive Flemish regulations, not on his local council. He cited examples of stalled projects in his municipality.
One such project, “de Melkroos,” has been delayed for 23 years. Reekmans attributes this to procedural errors in VMSW’s tendering process, which have left the project at a standstill.
Another project, “Baekveld,” in the village of Bunsbeek, is also on hold. Reekmans explained that opposition from three residents, who took the matter to the Council for Permit Disputes, highlights the burden of “absurd” Flemish regulations.
A third project in Glabbeek remains in development but has not yet progressed further.
Reekmans urged the government to stop threatening cooperative municipalities with fines. Instead, he called for an audit of the VMSW to address its mismanagement and for reforms to Flemish complaint procedures that he says are contributing to delays.
