Program budget
Program Budget 2024-2027
Investing responsibly in Zoetermeer 2040
Financially uncertain times are coming. Our budget is balanced for 2024, but the edges of the budget have been reached. The spring debate setting the direction for this budget already showed this. We subscribe to the principle of "responsible financial policy combined with investing in a future-proof city. With that in mind, we continue to build the future of our city. The vision Zoetermeer 2040 and the Coalition Agreement 'Doing what it takes together' provide the most important starting points for this.
Financial deficits as of 2026
The main cause of our financial uncertainty is the so-called "ravine" of 2026. For the year 2026, a structural balance of €12.9 million negative is expected to increase to about €17.5 million in 2027. Like all other Dutch municipalities, Zoetermeer will face a sharp decline in financial contributions from the state's municipal fund starting in 2026. It is unclear what course the state will take after the elections. As a result, the question of whether a new cabinet will listen to municipalities and take measures to avoid the ravine is still open. The motions adopted by almost all municipalities at the VNG congress endorse the message of more bang for our buck. We maintain our support to the VNG in their lobbying towards the state and to 'Councils in resistance' which has an important added value in that respect.
The program budget is available through a digital portal:
Program Budget 2023-2026
This is the first program budget of the new administrative period (2022-2026). The ambitions from the Coalition Agreement 'Doing what it takes together' have been incorporated into the budget. We will work with these in the coming years. The program budget is once again balanced and we will invest a lot in the city in the coming years. However, this program budget, like last year's, has been drawn up in financially uncertain times and therefore contains a number of uncertainties. Think of the consequences of the war in Ukraine, high inflation, shortages of personnel and building materials.
There are concerns about the situation starting in 2026. Starting in 2026, the financial position worsens due to a sharply lower payment from the municipal fund starting in 2026. This leads to a negative balance from 2026 for almost all municipalities in the Netherlands and great uncertainty about how this will develop. Municipalities and the state have been discussing this for a long time, but this has not yet led to a concrete result. In the coming years, we will closely monitor developments.
The program budget is available through a digital portal:
Household book of Zoetermeer
In the film "The household accounts of the municipality of Zoetermeer," we explain the connection between the college program, perspective memorandum, budget, annual report and financial statements.