Ostend (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Ostend’s multi-year plan tackles a €10 million revenue shortfall from vacant homes. Measures include reducing the vehicle fleet, cutting Wi-Fi, improving department coordination, and investing €200 million, says Mayor John Crombez.
As VRT News reported, Ostend has finalised its multi-year plan. The city council will discuss it in detail on Saturday, December 13th, 2025.
“We’ve been working for a long time to stabilise the budget. That’s because we inherited a budget with a sharply increased debt.”
“There were revenues booked that will never materialise. And some cuts were made by higher authorities that ended up at the expense of the cities. That made it a difficult exercise,”
says Mayor John Crombez.
How will Ostend’s multi-year plan save €10M and fund Thermae Palace?
The plan focuses on improving public services, supporting growth, and managing the city’s finances. One major problem for the Vooruit–N-VA coalition is nearly €10 million in expected revenue that was never collected. This money was supposed to come from levies on vacant and uninhabitable homes. The city wants to avoid raising taxes.
“During the previous legislature, levies on uninhabitable land were constantly increasing. This amounted to €112,000 per entity declared uninhabitable. So in a house with five entities, that was times five.”
“That was no longer legally correct. Judges say it’s no longer a levy, but a sanction, and they’re in the process of annulling it. Because the basic amounts are so high, it amounts to a large total that we won’t receive.”
To cover the shortfall, the city is considering several cost-saving measures. Officials plan to reduce the size of the municipal vehicle fleet, which will save on fuel, insurance, and maintenance.
They are also looking at cutting back free public Wi-Fi, which is widely used but costly. For example, free Wi-Fi will disappear along the Zeedijk, where usage is low. The service will continue in several public buildings where it is still popular.
Together with the Wi-Fi changes, these measures are expected to save about €1 million per year. Officials say another priority is to improve cooperation between the city’s different departments and organisations, including Oostende Tourism, De Grote Post, and the Economic House.
“We’re having a core task debate. We’re going to look at who does what and, above all, what we can do together.”
“I think the city’s marketing policy is a good example. It’s currently being implemented in five separate locations, with five budgets and five teams. We want to create a coordinated policy. The common goal is to make the city’s marketing policy as effective as possible.”
“Initially, this efficiency exercise doesn’t have any implications for staff. However, we have decided not to replace some of the staff who retire or leave.”
Better coordination is seen as important to make city services more efficient. So far, no decisions have been made about staff reductions, and the impact on long-term personnel numbers is still under review.
“I am very pleased that we have managed to reduce debt and still maintain a high investment rate, without placing an additional burden on Ostend residents,”
concluded Mayor John Crombez, visibly relieved.
“Together with the higher authorities, we will invest more than 200 million in buildings, which is unprecedented in Ostend. The best known example is the restoration of the Thermae Palace, in which the Flemish government is contributing a significant portion. But there’s also the restoration of the town hall, of which 95 million is being funded by the Flemish government.”
A multi-year plan is a document that shows a city’s priorities and plans for the future. It explains how the city will spend money and which projects are considered important by the city council. The plan turns the city’s administrative agreement into a concrete strategy.
It also forms the legal basis for all the city’s income, spending, and investments. This ensures that all public funds are used responsibly and according to the city’s priorities. The plan helps officials, residents, and stakeholders understand where money will go and how the city aims to achieve its goals over several years.
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