There is a danger of a widening gap between rich and poor in the Netherlands’ biggest cities, a home affairs ministry report claims today. The report ‘Tomorrow’s Cities, Today’s Choices’ says that urban areas are a potential powder keg, with richer neighbourhoods getting richer and poor areas becoming increasingly marginalised.

To reduce the risk, more must be done to keep middle-income families in cities and to encourage those who have left to return, the report suggests. It also calls for more efforts to improve education in problem areas.