Why does a Swiss town want to stop new families moving there?

Amid continued worries about how to sustain pension and social security systems as the population ages, a town in Canton Neuchâtel has chosen to buck the Europe-wide trend. La Chaux-du-Milieu is now taking steps to stop new families and children moving there. Here’s why:

Swiss town gives housing priority to those without school-age kids

With 113 residents of La Chaux-du-Milieu being children, the town is already the youngest in the whole of Neuchâtel per capita. Just a stone’s throw from the Juran Mountains, the town’s good social scene and low rental costs have led to rapid growth, going from 424 residents in 1992 to around 500 today.

Now, the town has designated two new building zones, where affordable houses to rent will be built and offered by the local council. However, Chaux-du-Milieu Mayor Philippe Raval confirmed to blueNews that couples without children and those with children yet to be of school age will be given priority over those with school-age kids.

Sheer number of school children causing financial crisis

Raval explained that the town is in a financial crisis, caused by the number of young people living in the area. According to residents living in the town, the council spent 98,46 percent of its tax income on maintaining the local school system, running up a deficit of 130.000 Swiss francs in the process.

"For the school alone, the costs range between 8.000 and 13.000 francs per pupil," Raval explained, noting that they would be able to balance the town's books if just 12 children would leave the area. With business taxes and other rates not providing much financial relief, "The weight of schooling is such that we struggle to invest in the modernisation of our buildings," the mayor continued. 

Smaller communities in Switzerland face funding troubles

Raval said that many smaller communities in Switzerland are also caught between a rock and a hard place, not welcoming too many children for fear of spending too much on schools, while not welcoming too few to make sure the school remains open. The nearby municipality of Brévine is likely to face the same issue in the next few years, he predicted.  

He said he hoped the financial situation would ease by the end of the decade, and that he was currently in discussions with Brévine and Cerneux-Péquignot about combining their school services to help reduce costs.

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