My record 2017 to 2026

Over the past 10 years we have created a good 1,000 new day-care places across the city — in addition to the four day-care centres named above, the following new buildings: the Goerdeler Straße day-care centre in Salzgitter-Lebenstedt (cost around €1.5 million), the “Villa RingelWerk” day-care centre in Salzgitter-Ringelheim (cost around €3.1 million), the “KunterBund” day-care centre at Martin-Luther-Platz in Salzgitter-Bad (cost around €1.7 million) and the “Hand in Hand” day-care centre in Hallendorf (cost around €2.2 million). Extensions, additions and refurbishments were also carried out at the following day-care centres: Steterburg, “Zwerge Am Berge” in Gitter, Hubertusstraße in Salzgitter-Bad, Adalbert-Stifter-Straße in Thiede, “Rasselbande” in Lichtenberg and Am See in Lebenstedt, at a total cost of around €10 million. A real feat, not least by my administration.

The refurbishment of the assembly hall at the Fredenberg school centre was completed in September 2025 and the hall was brought back into use as a school hall and cultural venue; the cost was around €11.6 million, for which I secured state funding of around €3.6 million.

The Lebenstedt indoor municipal pool was comprehensively refurbished, modernised and enlarged in water area at a total cost of around €13.7 million and reopened in October 2019.

The year-round outdoor pool at the Lebenstedt indoor municipal pool was completed and brought into use in January 2026. The total cost is around €2.5 million, for which I secured federal funding of just under €2 million.

Ground was broken for the new fire station in Salzgitter-Thiede in February 2026 and it is due for completion in summer 2027; expected total cost around €5.5 million, for which I secured around €630,000 in state funding.

Planning began in June 2026 for the new joint fire station of the “canal fire brigades” (Beddingen, Bleckenstedt, Sauingen and Üfingen).

Refurbishment of Fire Station I of the professional fire brigade in Lebenstedt at a total cost of around €1.7 million, for which I secured around €1 million in state funding.

New uniform protective clothing was procured and issued to our professional fire brigade and our volunteer fire brigades in 2023/2024 at a total cost of €450,000.

Consistent implementation of the vehicle procurement programme for our professional fire brigade and our volunteer fire brigades; most recently 17 new operational and special vehicles for fire protection and civil protection — also for our aid organisations — in June 2026 at a total cost of around €4.9 million, for which I secured federal and state funding totalling around €2.3 million.

Consistent implementation of the school refurbishment programme; over the past 15 years in particular at BBS Fredenberg, BBS Ludwig Erhard Schule, Fredenberg grammar and secondary school, Kranich grammar school Lebenstedt, Salzgitter-Bad grammar school, IGS Lebenstedt, Emil Langen secondary school, Salzgitter-Bad secondary school, Gottfried-Linke secondary school, Thiede secondary school, Klunkau secondary school, Ostertal primary school, St. Michael primary school, Steterburg primary school, Kranichdamm primary school, Ringelheim primary school, Am Ziesberg primary school, Lichtenberg primary school – Lesse annexe –, Dürerring primary school, Waldschule primary school and Maria Montessori school, at a total cost of around €70 million.

Voluntary municipal support for 16 general practitioner surgeries since 2022 totalling €800,000 to attract additional GPs, even though the Braunschweig Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KVN) is responsible for GP provision. The voluntary GP funding that I initiated in my supplementary budget for 2022 (€100,000 a year) and that the council increased and adopted in July 2022 (€250,000 a year) is showing its first effects: the level of provision calculated by the KVN has risen from 80.7 % to 84.2 %. A welcome development, even if everyone is longing for the 100 % mark.

In 2011 I wrested the so-called “Konrad fund” from the federal government and the energy companies. Over the past 15 years it has financed almost 950 non-profit projects in Salzgitter with funding of around €26.7 million. A very strong signal for our vital voluntary sector and for our city as a whole. Since it was founded in 2011, our Konrad Foundation has been the largest supporter of non-profit projects, primarily in Salzgitter but also in Lengede and Vechelde, through its annual grants. During my negotiations at the time with the then federal environment ministers Sigmar Gabriel and Dr Norbert Röttgen, I was absolutely certain that we were doing something lastingly good for volunteers in our city of Salzgitter and in the municipalities of Lengede and Vechelde. Today — 15 years later — I am pleased to say that with the €26.7 million already paid out we have lastingly strengthened the voluntary work that sustains and enriches our community. In 2026 alone we supported 127 projects with total funding of €3.7 million.

With my involvement in the Lower Saxony Association of Cities, an aid programme of around €1.1 billion for Lower Saxony's municipalities was agreed between the federal and state governments in 2020, offsetting the trade tax losses caused by the pandemic and supporting municipal fiscal equalisation. Salzgitter benefited to the tune of around €40 million; the 2020 tax losses were thus fully compensated on a one-off basis. Added to this were a €2.93 million rescue package for local public transport and a permanent increase of €7.79 million per year in the federal share of accommodation costs.

With my involvement as vice-president of the Lower Saxony Association of Cities, in 2024 the state distributed €400 million from its annual surplus to Lower Saxony's municipalities for investment. Salzgitter receives around €7.1 million of this in 2025, which we are using to repay debt.

With my involvement as vice-president of the Lower Saxony Association of Cities and as a board member of the German Association of Cities and the German Association of Towns and Municipalities, a special fund of €100 billion for Germany's municipalities was set up in 2024. Salzgitter will benefit from it with €65 million from 2026 onwards.