Berg exposes CDU: Oberhausen is fighting against economic collapse!

Berg exposes CDU: Oberhausen is fighting against economic collapse!

Mayor Daniel Schranz from the CDU last appeared at the election of candidates and proudly presented the supposed successes of his term in office. But his SPD opponent, Thorsten Berg, sharply tempered this positive portrayal by criticizing the city's economic situation. How Lokalkompass.de reports, Berg refers to a current municipal ranking by the German Economic Institute, which puts Oberhausen in second to last place (rank 395 out of 396) and 10,203 out of 10,648 nationwide. These figures reflect the persistently poor economic conditions and are particularly worrying compared to five years earlier, when Oberhausen came third from bottom.

Berg questioned Schranz's economic successes. He emphasized that the city's balanced budget is based on the city finance strengthening pact, which was initiated by a previous SPD-led state government. He also pointed out that important projects such as the Metronome Theater and Topgolf would not have been possible without the initiative of the previous SPD government. The move of XXXL Lutz to the steelworks site is also simply not to be found in Schranz's performance record, which is a clear omission for the SPD politician.

Economic policy and local challenges

Thorsten Berg's criticism includes not only the current administration, but also the overall state of local economic policy. One example he cites is the failure to establish the Segmüller furniture store in Sterkrade. Berg said that despite the positive developments in six municipalities in the Ruhr area, such as Recklinghausen, Bochum and Essen, Oberhausen is classified as below average in the dynamic ranking.

At the most recent budget debate, just nine months before the local elections, all parliamentary groups in the council presented their assessments of the difficult situation in Oberhausen. On December 16th, the council decided that the city would be allowed to spend around 1.15 billion euros in 2025, while revenue would be 1.05 billion euros. The resulting financial gap must be covered by new debt, while the old debts already amount to two billion euros and cost over 40 million euros in interest per year waz.de notes.

Political reactions and demands

The CDU takes a position in the discussion about urban economic policy by highlighting progress in the areas of climate protection, digitalization and education. However, critics within the CDU, such as council parliamentary group leader Simone-Tatjana Stehr, criticize the federal government's insufficient financial support for social welfare projects.

The SPD, led by Sonja Bongers, sees a crucial role for local finances in the coming federal elections and is therefore calling for a solution to old debts. The Greens, represented by parliamentary group leader Stefanie Opitz, also emphasize the importance of preventing social problems and are calling for more renovations to existing buildings instead of new construction projects. Other factions, including the AfD and the Left, are pushing for savings and warning of increasing social discontent, while the FDP is calling for administrative restructuring.

In conclusion, it can be said that Oberhausen's financial and economic situation is seen as central to the political debate, with each of the actors formulating their own views and demands. The pressure on those responsible is noticeable, especially with regard to the upcoming local elections.