Schwerin's factions cost taxpayers over a quarter of a million euros!

Schwerin's factions cost taxpayers over a quarter of a million euros!

In the last few months, the Schwerin city council has caused some excitement again. On June 21, 2025, those responsible published a detailed overview of the costs incurred by taxpayers for the factions' political activities. The political business in the town hall is a voluntary position, but it is anything but cost-effective. In the period from June to December 2024, expenses totaled an impressive 266,000 euros.

These funds, which were paid to the seven parliamentary groups from the city budget, cover personnel, rooms, IT equipment and various material costs. The parliamentary groups' staff alone cost more than 192,000 euros in just six months. All factions are entitled to an employee position according to pay group E11 of the collective agreement for the public service, and the city also covers the salaries directly. When it comes to possible expenses, room rent in the townhouse should also be taken into account: This cost around 36,000 euros, which includes heating, electricity, cleaning and renovation.

Detailed expenses and faction costs

The breakdown of expenditure leaves no doubt that the political groups are treating themselves to extensive IT equipment: over 13,000 euros went into computers, tablets and software. Well over 23,000 euros were also made available to the parliamentary groups as cash grants for their free use. “Other costs” such as postage and insurance also came to around 650 euros.

But how are these costs distributed among the individual factions? The CDU leads the rankings with almost 61,000 euros. They follow:

The entire political work in Schwerin clearly shows how important voluntary work is and that it also involves expenses. 43 of a total of 45 members of the city council have joined forces in six factions, with only two members acting without a faction. This shows that the members of the city council rely on cooperation and solidarity, even if the internal structures of each faction must correspond to the democratic and constitutional principles as determined by the city administration.

Irregularities and their solution

An audit report that revealed some minor irregularities was also addressed. The Alliance 90/The Greens paid for breakfast, which is not permitted. The SPD also had to pay back an unauthorized donation of 80 euros. Dealing with small inconsistencies that occurred was generally acknowledged by the parliamentary groups and ironed out accordingly.

However, there are also three members of the city council who are non-party members and therefore work without party funding. Their role in joint political work underlines the diversity within the city council. The presence of non-attached members and the challenges that come with it are part of local self-government, which can be traced back to the roots of German law.

Local self-government has its roots in the 12th and 13th centuries and is still very important today. Important decisions that affect our daily lives are made by elected representatives in city and community councils. This makes it even more important to build a strong network within the community in order to be politically successful.

The upcoming local elections in 2026 will offer an exciting opportunity for everyone interested in politics to volunteer and take an active part in shaping their city.

Further information can be found at Schwerin news, the Schwerin city administration and Politics on Sohr.