The party has introduced a motion to scupper the executive board’s plans.
The board is sick of the poor state many of the houseboats in the Groningen canals are in. Many of the ramshackle boats are rented to students. The board thinks that if they prohibit renting the boats out to students starting in 2023, the canals in the city centre will become appealing again. But Student & Stad is not into it.
‘Everyone in Groningen should have the right to live where they please’, says the party. ‘Students are being prevented from living on the water in the future, which is kind of weird, to put it mildly. For years, young people have made the conscious choice to live on the water, and many people currently living in houseboats started when they were students. But that time is now coming to an end’, says faction chair Arjen Banach.
Maintenance
According to the party, the board has not explained how renting out rooms on houseboats leads to the boats’ poor state. Moreover, the boats’ owners, rather than the students, should be held responsible for their poor state, the party writes in the motion. Student & Stad therefore want the executive board to withdraw the plan. ‘Tackling overdue maintenance cannot lead to excluding entire groups’, according to Banach.
The plans will be discussed in the Groningen council on Wednesday.