# Westland swaps asylum housing duties with two neighbouring towns

> The municipality of Westland will take over from Wassenaar the housing of 32 refugees granted residence permits over the next four years, while Wassenaar takes over the reception of 40 asylum seekers, as towns use the dispersal law to trade tasks.

Migration · published 2026-11-13 05:34 · https://nlnow.nl/a/westland-swaps-asylum-housing-duties-with-two-neighbouring-towns/

Over the next four years, Westland will take over the housing of 32 status holders (refugees granted a residence permit) from Wassenaar. In return, Wassenaar will take over the reception of 40 asylum seekers from Westland. Westland had already struck a similar deal with Midden-Delfland, and the two swaps together cover the reception of 146 asylum seekers.

Under the Spreidingswet (dispersal law), Westland must take in 643 asylum seekers by the middle of next year, according to a March estimate by asylum minister Bart van den Brink (CDA). Municipalities may agree among themselves to cooperate and swap tasks. Westland, Delft, Wassenaar, Rijswijk, Leidschendam-Voorburg and Pijnacker-Nootdorp have all made such agreements.

**What Westland swaps with each town**

| Town | Westland takes over housing of status holders | Town takes over reception of asylum seekers |
|---|---|---|
| Wassenaar | 32 | 40 |
| Midden-Delfland | 84 | 106 |

Midden-Delfland already has an agreement with the COA, the asylum reception agency, to take in 225 asylum seekers, more than required. The deal with Westland means it has to house fewer status holders.

Westland will house the status holders at two locations in Naaldwijk. The former Carlton hotel will be converted into 76 apartments with shared cooking facilities, and 24 housing units will be built in a former office building.

Wassenaar will take in asylum seekers for four municipalities, at the existing reception site on the grounds of the Duinrell holiday park. The municipality says the arrangements mean Wassenaar will in principle not need any social housing for status holders over the next five years.

In March, the Westland council voted down a proposal to take in 140 asylum seekers. The municipal executive wrote to the council on Thursday that it sees the deal as "a good example of how a task facing society as a whole can be organised differently".

## Background

- **Spreidingswet**: The law that spreads the reception of asylum seekers across Dutch municipalities. Each province and municipality is asked to provide a share of the places; a municipality that does not can be placed under supervision and, in the end, instructed by the minister.
- **COA (Centraal Orgaan opvang asielzoekers)**: The independent government body that houses and looks after asylum seekers while their applications are processed. It runs reception centres across the country and falls under the minister responsible for asylum and migration.

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