opinion poll
Energy crisis: Many municipalities want to save on bathrooms
High costs in the energy crisis: Many municipalities want to close baths. photo
© Sina Schuldt/German Press Agency GmbH/dpa
First Corona, now the rising energy prices: many cities and communities expect cash to remain tight. According to a survey, this could be bitter for water lovers.
In view of the energy crisis, a number of municipalities in Germany want to save, according to a survey, for example by closing swimming pools or reducing street lighting. More than half (54 percent) of the cities and municipalities surveyed by the consulting firm Ernst & Young (EY) want to cut services. In the previous year, the proportion was 26 percent.
301 municipalities with at least 20,000 inhabitants were surveyed in October and November. Since there are comparatively many smaller municipalities in some federal states, the results are “conditionally representative”.
Closures of indoor and outdoor pools planned
Almost every third municipality surveyed is planning to close or restrict the operation of indoor and outdoor pools. Two out of five municipalities want to shut down the street lighting. And when it comes to youth care or senior citizen work, every sixth city or municipality is making cuts. For the coming year, around half of the financial authorities surveyed are assuming that expenditure on energy will increase by 20 percent or more.
In view of the inflation, expected tariff increases for municipal employees and the additional burden of caring for refugees, the municipalities expect their coffers to remain tight. According to the figures, 59 percent will probably have a minus at the end of the year, only eleven percent expect a budget surplus. Every third municipality expects their debts to increase.
Investments in their buildings, for example to advance the energy transition, are therefore planned by every second city or municipality. “The current measures are completely inadequate – the climate targets of the federal government will not be achieved in this way,” criticized the head of Government & Public Sector Solutions in Germany at EY, Sven-Joachim Otto. Saving energy by lowering the room temperature or switching off the street lights is one thing. “More important, however, are efficiency measures that reduce energy consumption in the long term or use sustainable energy sources.”