New coalition, old issues plague Diekirch

After twelve years of an absolute majority, the LSAP made its way at the top in Diekirch council following this year's elections in June, losing two seats to the CSV and the DP. Since then, Weiler has led the council, where tackling the issues of the past has been at the top of the municipal agenda for the past few months.

A key priority for the CSV-DP coalition is a site on Rue de l'Hôpital which was designed to house a childcare setting and a retirement home. Although the wraparound childcare centre opened in September this year, the plans for the senior residence, where private individuals would have been able to purchase rooms, were eventually blocked by the administrative court due to the site's location in a public buildings and facilities zone.

The former municipal council then planned to construct a new building for the Conservatoire du Nord music school on the site. But the new coalition would prefer to use the terrain to expand the nearby primary school, Weiler says, with plans to review whether an expansion could be feasible. However, he says the council does not yet have the necessary expertise to confirm whether this could take place.

In terms of expanding the Conservatoire du Nord, meetings have already taken place between the necessary parties, in which Diekirch council confirmed they would invest in a new building - although the location is yet to be set in stone. If the Rue de l'Hôpital site cannot be used to expand the primary school, Weiler says the music school would be a potential alternative.

Another issue facing the new mayor is the former council's decision to increase land tax on vacant building plots. The administrative court rejected this plan in the first instance. Weiler remains cautious regarding the proposal:

"It is now up to the court to confirm whether the first verdict will be maintained or not, so we have to wait for the outcome. Of course, if they confirm it, there will be financial repercussions for the council, and we will have to deal with the consequences."

During the last legislature, the opposition criticised the lack of transparency over passenger numbers for the newly-created bus service Loui-Express, saying the lack of data on its usage could not justify the service's existence. At the time, the LSAP majority had not published any numbers on the service. Weiler says the council intends to re-evaluate the situation at the end of the year to review any improvements, but declined to confirm any intention to abolish the bus service.