Cabinet, local councils on collision course over new strategy

The cabinet and local authorities are on a collision course over government plans to transfer help for the long-term jobless and disabled to council control, the Volkskrant reports.


The two sides are due to meet again next week to discuss the agreement, which the government hopes will cut €1.8bn from its budget.
To do this, they plan to merge disabled work projects, welfare benefits, and incapacity benefit for youngsters (Wajong) into a single system and place it under council control.
Risk
But local councils argue not enough money is being made available for them to carry out the work and that they will carry a high financial risk.
In particular, councils are worried about taking responsibility for sheltered work schemes.
Some 90,000 people currently do paid work in special centres for the handicapped, but the government wants to cut that total to 30,000.

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