Lübeck household in the crisis: 65 million euros more for pensions!

Lübeck household in the crisis: 65 million euros more for pensions!

The Hanseatic city of Lübeck faces financial challenges that considerably burden the financial year 2024. According to a report by the LN online, the city must now apply 65 million euros more to pension provisions than originally calculated. This unexpected deficit is added to the already tense financial situation, which has an annual misalignment of almost 95 million euros.

The increased burden of pension provisions is due to several factors, but the exact cause remains unclear. A top conversation with other cities and the local authority could not provide any explanations for the drastic additional costs. Mayor Jan Lindenau (SPD) expressed incomprehension on the calculations of the pension compensation fund. In particular, he mentions the increase in salary for civil servants of around 10.5 percent from November 1, 2024 as the main reason for the increase in provisions.

household and financial policy

The urban budget had to be put under a budget lock to compensate for the lack of income. According to Mayor Lindenau, the financing hurdles due to the cuts of the federal and state governments and the increasing expenses are enormous. In the second quarter report for 2024, falling income from the Financial Equalization Act and increasing increases in social and youth welfare identification were forecast.

The city expects less income of around 32.7 million euros compared to the planning for 2024. This difficult financial situation requires additional savings and prioritization. Mayor Lindenau has already promised a reduction list for the household year 2026. The average supply to the pension fund has been 26.9 million euros in recent years, while the actual demand now exceeds the limit of 65 million euros.

Future view

The reserves for guest houses and aid fluctuate strongly in Lübeck. In 2022, the city recorded almost 10 million euros less provisions and in 2023 it was just under 13 million euros less. The significant increase in 2024 was unpredictable, which is a big problem for the financial politicians of the citizens. The actual additional requirement of 65 million euros was only reported to the city administration in March 2025.

The pension fund plans to be a one -time recalculation of the additional requirement according to an institution. However, Mayor Lindenau makes it clear that the planning of the pension provisions is not in the hands of the city. The hopes of those responsible now rest in the country, since only the local authority can influence the processes.

The citizens of Lübeck can be excited about the publication of final figures and explanations at the end of the year, which are made accessible online in order to offer more transparency about the financial situation of the city. The city administration is in a critical phase and must set the course for a healthy financial policy of the coming years.

For further details on the challenges and the solutions of the city administration, the reports of ln online and the official Press release of lübeck.de referred.