Cultural funding in a slump: Esslingen is planning drastic savings!

Cultural funding in a slump: Esslingen is planning drastic savings!

There's a lot going on in Esslingen at the moment, especially when it comes to promoting culture. The local council plans to adopt the double budget for 2026/27 by the end of the year, which calls into question both the city's financial situation and the future of various cultural projects. The strained coffers are forcing those responsible to cut corners, and this has a direct impact on the finances for cultural events in the region. Among other things, new applications for cultural funding are being discussed, which will provide the funds for the planned “City in the River” cultural festival regarding.

A proposal from the Free Voters aims to cut funding for the festival in 2027 by 90,000 euros to a total of 175,000 euros, a decrease of 34%. This savings measure is intended to help ensure the financing of a new application for club funding, which provides for a subsidy of 50% for the rental costs of club events in Esslinger Live rented rooms. But the city administration is critical of the application and is proposing a reduced funding of 225,000 euros, which represents a less drastic cut due to the intended reduction of 40,000 euros alternative-fuer-esslingen.de reported.

The opinions in the local council

The discussion about cultural financing has already caused quite a stir. While the Free Voters want an adjustment in line with the market, Stephan Köthe raises concerns about the cuts, especially in a year that marks an anniversary for the city. The final decision on the applications will be made by the local council on December 15, 2025. In this context, Cultural Mayor Yalcin Bayraktar explained that an application from the FDP/Volt to set the funds for the cultural office at the 2025 level had already been rejected in the culture committee.

However, the proposal to reduce the subsidy for the “City in the River” festival did not find a majority. At the same time, the CDU and Free Voters are relying on using the funds saved for a two-year model experiment to subsidize hall rents in municipal event spaces. It remains to be seen how the financial situation will develop and what consequences this will have for cultural work in Esslingen.

Neighborhood work in Weil

But cultural funding is not the only topic that stirs people's minds. During the exchange between the Committee for Culture, Social Affairs and Sport, a cooperation agreement with the Esslingen District Diaconia Association for neighborhood work in Weil was also discussed. Here the city is considering support for the continuous development of the district. Personnel cost subsidies and a subsidy for building costs have been applied for for 2026.

Stephan Köthe emphasizes the importance of limiting the city's share of personnel costs to 50% and at the same time gaining additional partners for support. Savings in building costs are to be realized through cooperation with housing associations. The overarching goal is to make district work more independent of the financial situation of the city's budget and to also include other districts in the future.