To the front page

11/1 Jurists want to stay in Oudemanhuispoort

8/2 Mayor’s portrait

8/2 Websites for social cohesion

7/2 Spreading tourism proceeds with difficulty

7/2 GroenLinks on districts: Be a man

6/2 Zuideramstel opens new office on Sabbath

5/2 The truth about integration

4/2 Wilders has little support on Amsterdam

3/2 Elite involved in neighbourhood

2/2 Johnnie Walker avoids taxes in Amsterdam

1/2 Rotterdam to tinker with district councils as well

31/1 Wooden rowing boats to disappear from Amstel

31/1 ZeeburgTV launched

27/1 Privacy activists to mess up loyalty card system

27/1 A few were still coughing, but that was an act

27/1 Chrisis in de Baarsjes

26/1 Youth have positive view of districts

24/1 Action groups call for Carmel and Jaffa boycott

24/1 PvdA members dismiss plan for districts

23/1 KLM takes on crisis with new uniform

23/1 District office not squatted

21/1 Merge districts

20/1 Closing squat bar Vrankrijk not necessary

20/1 Cleaners welcome new Schiphol director

18/1 Palestine at the Jewish Historical Museum

18/1 What is the right size for a district?

17/1 PvdA Oost against fewer districts

16/1 Committee: 7 districts by 2010

15/1 Soldiers may attend Afghanistan debate after all

15/1 Bait bike leads to arrest

14/1 Youth for Christ to republish vacancies

13/1 Paintings of the Zuidas

13/1 New Youth for Christ contoversy

11/1 Social cohesion initiative raises eyebrows

10/1 Fewer districts in 2010

10/1 Zuidas: People feel that we are losers

9/1 Fun on the ice - but not for all

9/1 Supermarket coupon fraud thwarted

9/1 I Amsterdam must remain exclusive

8/1 Use term Apartheid in every discussion

8/1 No city kiosk in Amsterdam yet

7/1 Snow

7/1 Fatima Elatik to run Zeeburg

7/1 Municipal managers to return to shop floor

4/1 Police: take photo of strange people

3/1 Gaza protest criticises politicians

1/1 Thousands to protest against attacks on Gaza

1/1 Mustapha Laboui leaves district council

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Social policies quite good

15 February 2006 – The social policies of Amsterdam are quite good. Especially, spending on anti-poverty policies is higher than in most other municipalities. This is one of the conclusions of a study among 199 municipalities, published today by the Netherlands Trade Union Confederation FNV.

Spending over 750 euro per low income household, Amsterdam is among the municipalities with the highest expenditure on anti-poverty policies. The city spent less on labour market policies than the amount provided for this purpose by the national government. The same applies in many other municipalities.

Amsterdam has an intermediate position regarding the share of people who leave social assistance, but return within a year. In the capital, this applies to 15-25%.

The waiting time for people who apply for social assistance is between four and six weeks. Here as well, the city has an intermediate position. Amsterdam is ahead of others regarding the introduction of new methods to ensure that income support actually reaches those for whom it is meant.

The FNV study expresses concern about a number of developments. Since the introduction of the new Work and Social Assistance Act in 2004, the number of formal complaints has risen, and those complaints were found to be justified more often. Further, municipalities do not invest as much as they should in helping the unemployed find a job.

More about the study