Brasschaat (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Brasschaat municipal staff express concern over the draft multi-year plan as the council seeks major savings, including outsourcing several services, while maintaining essential operations and staff stability.
As VRT News reported, Brasschaat municipal staff, in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, are concerned about a multi-year plan that is still being developed by the municipal council. On Tuesday morning, Nov 25, 2025, employees gathered around a campfire to talk about the planned budget cuts.
Waste collectors from the transport service said they are especially worried about how the reductions could affect their daily work and the services they provide. Staff said the cuts could create challenges and called for solutions that maintain essential services for residents.
“Our people are being given two choices: either they join IGEAN, or they’re laid off. Our team has about 30 employees, and everyone is wondering who should leave and who can stay,”
said ACV union representative Koen Adams.
“I’ve heard that IGEAN itself is moving to another municipality. That means the principle of “living in Brasschaat, working in Brasschaat’ will be eliminated.”
“The principle of Living in Brasschaat, working in Brasschaat, is in danger of disappearing.”
Koen Adams of ACV
“A few years ago, the cleaning service and the handyman service also disappeared similarly,”
Adams knows.
“It was also said then that there would be no layoffs. People were allowed to make internal moves, but many no longer felt comfortable in their jobs or left anyway. That also worries us.”
What are Brasschaat’s multi-year budget cuts?
The municipal government responded with a press release. Officials said they understand the concerns but highlighted the financial pressures facing all Flemish municipalities. They cited falling revenues, rising costs, and the gradual phasing out of subsidies as reasons for the planned cuts.
The council said the measures are necessary to keep the budget balanced and ensure that essential services continue. While the cuts are difficult, the municipality said they are needed to manage public resources responsibly in the current economic situation.
“That’s why we’re taking a critical look at what the municipality is doing itself, what could be done more efficiently, and which tasks are better outsourced,”
says Mayor Adinda van Gerven (N-VA).
“This will lead to a planned reduction in personnel costs throughout the entire legislative term.”
Brasschaat municipal authorities have confirmed that the upcoming savings in the multi-year budget plan will not lead to layoffs. The municipality said the reductions will come through natural attrition, internal restructuring, and outsourcing where needed. Staff have already been informed about the measures.
The austerity measures were discussed at a city council meeting on Monday evening, November 24, 2025.
“What have these people been told, or what are they going to be told?”
responded Matthias Gulickx of the PDA (Workers’ Party for Democracy).
“How can they be given an explanation about the impact on the multi-year plan if that multi-year plan hasn’t been approved here yet?”
Tim Willekens of Vlaams Belang spoke critically about the proposed cuts.
“I don’t really understand it. What are we even doing here? Just taking note? Are you just assuming that, regardless of whether there’s a debate or a response from the opposition, you’ll just carry on?”
Mayor Van Gerven said it is important to keep staff informed and not withhold information from those affected. The savings plan will be formally presented to the municipal council committee on December 8th, 2025, for discussion and review.
“It seems only logical to us that, before we send out those documents, the employees involved should be informed first,”
Mayor Van Gerven said.
Flemish municipalities have faced growing financial pressure since the late 2010s. Reforms in 2019 reduced the number of municipalities, while rising costs for staff, energy, and social services have strained budgets.
In 2024, local councils received €4.575 billion in general operating subsidies from the Flemish government. A study by Belfius in June 2024 warned that municipalities were under heavy pressure due to declining revenues, higher expenses, and cuts in long-term support.
Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.
