Big city mayors warn government on jobs, poverty, police

The mayors of the four big cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague have written to prime minister Mark Rutte warning him that the new government’s policies will have a serious effect on employment and efforts to combat poverty, the AD reports on Wednesday.

Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht have Labour mayors, but The Hague’s mayor Jozias van Aartsen is a member of Rutte’s VVD.
The four big cities are the main motors behind economic growth and need more ambition to make sure the Randstad urban conglomeration is among the best economies in Europe, the mayors say.
In addition, the plans will not lead to the promised 3,000 increase in police numbers, the mayors are quoted as saying.