Minimum security levels in Vienna to undergo reductions

In the heart of Austria, Vienna is making significant changes to its education and social welfare policies. Here's a breakdown of the planned reforms and their potential impact on families.

Opposition parties have voiced criticism over Vienna's decision not to make kindergarten fees dependent on family size. However, the city is pressing ahead with plans to make kindergarten mandatory for three-year-olds, a move intended to facilitate parental integration into the labor market.

The city expects to save around 20 million euros per year from this change, as currently, the same amount of support is paid for each child, regardless of family size, a policy introduced under the red-green administration.

Vienna is also considering a change for needy communities, which could see a shift in the way child support is paid out. This change, set to come into effect in the coming year, could potentially save around 75 million euros per year.

The allowance for children's housing costs will be deducted from rent subsidies in the future, a measure that families can expect to impact their budgets. With this new regulation on rent subsidies, a family of five could receive around 400 euros less per year.

The plans for kindergartens are mid-term and will be discussed with the city's coalition partner, the NEOS. Meanwhile, Vienna is currently implementing budget cuts, including measures in minimum security. Last year, the city spent 800 million euros on minimum security.

Ludwig has called for the minimum security to be handled by the AMS, arguing that this would focus more on the inclusion of those affected in the labor market. The coalition party with which the city of Vienna is consulting on planned changes regarding minimum security obligations is not explicitly named in the provided search results.

There's also a change in the treatment of single persons living together in an apartment and families in a common household. Currently, single persons receive the maximum rate for minimum security, while this is not the case for families.

Kindergarten fees could potentially be reduced due to cost savings from these changes. However, the exact details of this are yet to be finalised. Stay tuned for more updates on Vienna's education and social welfare reforms.