A plan by Hart voor Den Haag party leader Richard de Mos in which he proposes to set up a Hague Investment Fund, with which residents, benefactors and companies can invest in the quality of life and development of the city, has been adopted by the Hague city council. “The investment fund gives residents a share in the city,” says De Mos, who states that the Hague Investment Fund provides the opportunity to invest in The Hague, where the social return is high and the financial return is lower. The aim is that as many fellow citizens as possible can participate in the fund, by applying the lowest possible entry threshold, preferably from 500 euros. There is also room for larger investors, such as companies and institutional investors. The investment mission of the fund is; invest in projects that promote the quality of life and development of The Hague.
Investing in projects
The fund must invest in projects that contribute to the city. Examples of this are the purchase and rental of social real estate. By charging a lower rent, the fund strengthens the neighborhood function. “For example, by renting real estate for a reasonable price to a food bank, a bicycle shed or through employment projects to craftsmen and/or starting entrepreneurs. Another option is to invest in solar panels on roofs, so that people get a lower energy bill. And what about projects that make the city cleaner and improve the living environment?”
Mesdag
De Mos hopes that benefactors like Mesdag will step up for the investment fund. “Mesdag was a generous patron. In addition to his career as a painter, he spent a lot of time helping other artists through purchases and stimulated the growth of the The Hague art world as a director of Pulchri Studio and investor in his own Panorama,” says De Mos that types like Mesdag stand up for The Hague. Investment fund.
Quartermaster
It is up to the municipality to kick off the fund by appointing a research team to develop the proposal. De Mos: “The aim here is to find founding partners who want to take the lead and establish the organization. The desired size of the investment fund is estimated at 50 million. If the fund is operational, it must be able to support itself.”