Acute market failure

Greens in Main-Kinzig call on Kreis to create affordable housing

"There is an acute market failure in the area of affordable housing," says Viola Haßdenteufel, spokeswoman for social policy and vice-president of the Greens parliamentary group. "Especially in times of rising prices and high inflation, it is no longer timely to build only housing for better-earning people."

The Green parliamentary group Main-Kinzig has therefore sent a request to the administration of the Main-Kinzig district: “Overall, we ask the circle only one question: What steps have the administration taken towards the announced creation of a district-owned housing company?’ It is clear that the market ‘does not regulate this problem on its own. On the contrary: In order to generate even higher returns, ever larger and more expensive apartments are being built and rented or sold for large sums.’

If you have only a low income, you can hardly afford to live in cities like Gelnhausen or Hanau: "Affordable housing is defined in such a way that the apartment, including all operating costs, does not require more than one third of the household volume," says Haßdenteufel. For years, however, a picture has emerged that ‘newly built apartments in the urban areas of the district usually have a four-digit rental amount’.

It is the responsibility of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis to finally remedy this situation: “The Grand Coalition, consisting of the SPD and the CDU, announced last summer that it would remedy this situation by setting up a district-owned housing association. We Greens have pledged support for this project. Unfortunately, nothing seems to have happened since then, except that the still existing building land continues to be built on with expensive luxury apartments", criticises Haßdenteufel.

It is no different to explain that important projects of the circle are silent: “The district housing association, the health academy and the school development plan are just three examples where it becomes clear that the Grand Coalition is all about managing the existing one. Especially in the direction of the district elections in the coming year, no unnecessary dust should be stirred up. The Grand Coalition prefers to think about creative justifications in order to reject opposition proposals and, in return, has stopped working on the content", says Haßdenteufel.

Another example is the Arbeitskreis Nahmobilität Hessen (AGNH): "This is an association of districts, cities and municipalities to strengthen walking and cycling and to develop common mobility concepts", says Rainer Vogel, Member of the Transport Committee. The Grand Coalition had decided in 2019 in the course of the rejection of more money for the construction of cycle paths at least to join the AGNH.

‘However, the Main-Kinzig-Kreis is still not listed as a member. It can therefore be assumed that it was once again an unimplemented initiative of the Grand Coalition." 19 out of 21 districts in Hesse are already members here: "Like the Hessen eco-model region, we are once again one of the last counties to participate in important initiatives", concludes Vogel.

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Enquiries to:

Jakob Mähler
Group Managing Director
Alliance 90 / The Greens Main-Kinzig

06181/61596
0176/46763336

fraktion@gruene-mkk.de