The town hall will receive 266 million crowns to help families threatened by inflation, Prague will also help clubs and seniors
Prague will help seniors who have trouble making ends meet on their pension. Illustration photo: Freeimages.com
At today’s meeting, the Prague council approved the first part of the previously announced aid to the citizens of Prague. This is the provision of city district subsidies in the total amount of almost 266 million crowns for measures for Prague households threatened by inflation this year. Quick and concrete help will be provided through the schools to pay for food, school, group and club activities or for the school solidarity fund, or for a social pedagogue for the schools.
Prague 4, which is the largest city district, will receive the highest contribution. 24.52 million crowns are already allocated from the municipality. The second highest will be received by the Prague 5 City Hall, which will receive 21.94 million crowns. A little over 20 million crowns will be given to both the Prague 8 town hall and the tenth city district.
The municipality will distribute the money in five categories, which are food, school, groups and clubs, a contribution to a social pedagogue and a solidarity fund, to which this year the town hall will receive a contribution of 240 crowns per pupil from the municipality, and the allocation of money is decided by school directors and other institutions that receive the money . The most money is intended for the first three measures, which will go to approximately 211.1 million crowns. The smallest amount is intended for social pedagogy.
The representatives had a long debate before passing the resolution. “For a household in need, this means savings of up to 50,000 crowns per year. It is targeted help for those who need it, so that they can maintain housing in rent or when paying off mortgages,” said representative Jan Čižinský (Prague Sobě).
“I am very glad that I managed to present at least some help. Unfortunately, this help comes late and is insufficient. She has been trying to push through since February, now it’s September and the help is also insufficient. The only thing the city has come up with is to send money to City Hall. And where is the help for the elderly? She is missing. At the same time, seniors are in a tense situation. And there is also a lack of help for sports clubs that work with children,” said representative Marta Gellová from the ANO movement, which therefore proposed two amendments. That the housing allowance for seniors threatened by the crisis be 3,000 crowns and help clubs with sports youth.
According to Pavel Zelenka, chairman of the Committee of Representatives m for housing, such a high allowance for the elderly would be a gamble with the city budget. “We cannot predict how many seniors you can ask for help. But if they gave a contribution of 300 crowns, it will cost us a total of 700 million next year. And that’s a lot. Our task is not to replace the state,” said Zelenka.
“Let’s support Martha Gell’s amendment. We don’t skimp on people, we don’t skimp on the people of Prague. Prague has the money. I have around seventy billion in my accounts,” said Ondřej Prokop, the chairman of the ANO movement in Prague. “If the parents don’t have the money to pay for the sports clubs, they will leave the children at home. Children will then be obese, which will cost society much more as a result. Let’s get our kids moving,” he continued.
“Prague has to help the needy, it has what it takes. I don’t understand why he will start helping seniors only from January. We would definitely be able to find a mechanism to help the elderly immediately,” said the chairwoman of the control committee of the local council, Alexandra Udženija (ODS).
According to MP and representative Patrik Nacher (ANO), the movement’s amendments are justified. “It’s not a cry in the dark, but a reaction to price increases. Prague should not be reluctant to help, after all, thanks to inflation alone, it will collect six million more in taxes. If we do not help the people of Prague, let them fall into foreclosures and become tax defaulters, then Prague will come and stand for more. It is better to help now than to deal with the expensive consequences of not taking action,” he said.
“We also have to help families so that they can pay for their children’s sports clubs. After all, we don’t want to allow covid II, when children will be bored without exercise,” he added.
In the end, the representatives agreed to include aid for clubs and seniors in the final resolution. “It is imposed on the Council hl. m of Prague continuously provides support for sports clubs and facilities working with children under the age of 18, as a safety net during the energy crisis, so that children continue to play sports and there are no restrictions on movement, as in the time of covid,” reads the approved resolution.
“It is imposed on the Council hl. m of Prague to continuously increase contributions for groups of old-age and disabled pensioners, persons caring for disabled pensioners, persons living independently, or other groups of Prague citizens at risk of poverty,” the approved resolution reads.
“The Prague aid package complements state aid in a targeted way so that the people of Prague who need and are entitled to help do not fall to their knees. Prague aid consists of three pillars. One is focused on relieving people of debt, the burden of foreclosures in the form of the Summer of Mercy, the second is to help the citizens of Prague save energy on specially adapted counseling lines, the third will help parents of students and pupils with the payment of lunches, group or kindergarten fees and extracurricular activities of primary, secondary and kindergarten pupils schools through the Solidarity Fund,” said Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates).
The representative office of In the middle of June of this year, m of Prague already approved an extensive aid package for the people of Prague with broad support. The set of measures is intended to quickly and specifically help Prague households, which are most at risk of poverty or loss of housing, in order to withstand the effects of the current high inflation and rising prices.
“The current situation of skyrocketing living costs affects all Prague residents. Now that the school year is starting, however, families with children are most at risk and need help immediately. And that without complicated filling out of forms and a lengthy approval process,” said Radek Vondra, chairman of the representative club United Forces for Prague.
“We support the aid package and I am very happy that this is the case across the council. The aid must be achievable without complex administration and, if necessary, must take priority even over investment projects. And if that wasn’t enough, I would suggest selling Prague’s stake in PPF Bank,” said the first deputy mayor, Mr. m of Prague Petr Hlaváček (for TOP 09).
“I am very happy that I am helping the people of Prague and extending it to other groups of Prague residents. You will also reach the elderly, disabled and single parents. Our Marta Gellová is constantly looking for ways to help Praguers threatened by poverty in the current inflation and energy crisis. And I’m glad that thanks to the fact that other representatives joined us, we were able to achieve this, including the support of sports activities for children and youth, which is another very important topic on which the ANO movement can be guaranteed in the long term,” added Ondřej Prokop.
At the same time, Prague launched a website pomocprazanum.praha.eu, where all information is published on individual forms of assistance to the citizens of Prague, which the capital city is gradually introducing in connection with high inflation and rising prices. Here, people can learn, among other things, what the conditions are for receiving help, how to proceed when processing applications for a contribution, or there are also links to where to look for additional help in financial need.
In addition to the measures approved today relating to financial relief in the field of education for families, the previously agreed package of immediate assistance for the people of Prague has other pillars that the capital city is gradually preparing. These include help with debt relief as part of the currently launched Gracious Summer II event, in which the capital is once again involved, but also advice on how to save on energy, the price of which has been rising rapidly in recent months.