Hesse in the census dispute: Losses of millions and lawsuits against the state!

Hesse in the census dispute: Losses of millions and lawsuits against the state!

A huge storm is brewing in Hesse: several cities, including Hanau, Fulda, Rotenburg and Gießen, are filing lawsuits against the State Statistical Office. The reason? Discrepancy in the population numbers from the 2022 census. The affected municipalities feel disadvantaged by the numbers found and see their financial prospects in jeopardy. More than 41 Hessian municipalities have already filed an objection, and the deadline for lawsuits is about to expire Time reported.

In its previously unyielding stance, the State Statistical Office has set the population numbers of many cities significantly lower than they themselves state. This not only leads to dissatisfaction, but could also result in severe financial losses for the cities affected. Professor Désirée Christofzik makes it clear that a smaller population also leads to lower allocations and subsidies in municipal financial equalization. Kassel, which according to the census is said to have 7,500 fewer inhabitants, could lose around 12 million euros annually. In Hanau, for example, the difference is over 9,000 residents, which would result in an annual loss of almost 10 million euros.

Cities are fighting back

But it's not just Kassel and Hanau that are at risk. Giessen also complains about 6,000 fewer residents and the threat of financial losses amounting to 8.6 million euros. For Fulda, the figures indicate a population of 64,705 - but the city expects 69,323. This difference could cause a loss of at least 6.5 million euros. Even Rotenburg an der Fulda has around 1,130 fewer inhabitants in the official statistics, which means an additional annual burden of around 800,000 euros.

Kassel now wants to decide on possible legal steps in a special meeting. The Hessian Association of Cities is following the situation closely and has already held several discussions with the state office - but without any significant success. The cities accuse the office of methodological errors and a lack of transparency. A statement that the State Statistical Office countered with a clear “no”. The procedure used is scientifically sound and confirmed by the Federal Constitutional Court.

Causes for the differences

According to the state office, the deviations in the numbers could result from refugee movements and reporting deficits during the corona pandemic. This corresponds to the results of comprehensive checks in which the Hessian State Statistical Office was unable to discover any errors in the determination of the population figures. Of 41 objections, only 34 were accepted and rejected on time. The numbers were sent to municipalities in November 2022, and many city administrations are forced to seek legal recourse to take action against the lower numbers.

It has now been determined that the Hessian population totals only around 6.21 million people, instead of the assumed 6.37 million. That's a decrease of 2.6 percent. The age structure shows that 50.8 percent are women and 49.2 percent are men, while 24.3 percent of the population are younger than 25 years. In many large cities, as in the case of Hanau, falling below the 100,000 population mark also represents a danger to the city's status. The mayor of Hanau, Maximilian Bieri, has already announced legal action if the explanation from the objection decision remains inadequate.

The Hessian municipalities are facing a challenge that is not only financial in nature, but also affects their future development and ability to self-govern. In the current situation, it remains to be seen whether the lawsuits will be successful and how the whole thing will affect the municipal structures.