Kobenzl: City sees itself “not responsible”
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The former Hotel Kobenzl does not belong to the city of Salzburg and is therefore not responsible. This is how Mayor Harald Preuner (ÖVP) reacted to the communists’ demand for an inspection of the empty house that had been rented as asylum accommodation. The KPÖ will examine the situation.
The public sector is currently paying 30,000 euros a month in rent for an empty building – according to the Ministry of the Interior, the building is in too bad a condition to accommodate refugees there.
The former Hotel Kobenzl does not belong to the city and therefore the city has no power of disposal over the house, says Salzburg’s mayor Harald Preuner when asked by local councilor Kay-Michael Dankl from the KPÖ plus to check the condition of the former hotel.
1.2 million euros rent from 2015 to 2020
The citizens are right to get upset because tax money is being paid, but the city is not responsible, emphasizes Preuner. Between 2015 and 2020 alone, 1.2 million were due in rent.
A spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior writes that significant defects, which the Interior Ministry believes are the responsibility of the landlord and contribute significantly to the (sometimes poor) condition of the facilities, have not been remedied despite ongoing requests.
Kobenzl also for Schellhorn “no asylum accommodation”
Experts point out that accommodation must be approved by the building, fire and health authorities. The condition with escape routes, toilets and washing facilities must pass in order to accommodate people there, the rule of law provides for that.
For the state, too, Kobenzl is currently out of the question as an asylum accommodation, says Heinrich Schellhorn (Greens), deputy governor of the state for social affairs. The federal government has checked the house several times and would use it if it were possible, says Schellhorn. The contract between the Ministry of the Interior and the owners of the house runs until 2024.