Bouchez and Dilliès Block SLRB Funding Over Social Housing Dispute

Political friction inside the regional administration reached a boiling point as high-stakes disagreements over public housing financing and political trust spilled openly into the executive branch, La Libre.be reported. At the center of the dispute is a promised injection of 400 million euros in credits earmarked for the Société du Logement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale (SLRB).

Bouchez Vetoes Funding over Social Housing Leadership

The trouble began early in September when MR President Georges-Louis Bouchez placed a firm veto on the funding. The condition attached by the liberals was absolute: no money would flow to the SLRB as long as Lotfi Mostefa (PS) remained at the helm of the Foyer anderlechtois, the capital’s largest social housing company.

That blockade immediately complicated a freshly struck budgetary agreement. On a Monday morning following a political conclave, spokesperson announcements clashed directly with party leadership directives. While representatives for Ahmed Laaouej insisted the accord safely cleared a 131-million-euro tranche for SLRB recapitalization in 2026, Bouchez took to social media to refute the claim entirely. He threatened to instruct MR deputies to block the upcoming budget vote unless the Foyer anderlechtois leadership issue was resolved.

Internal tensions quickly seeped into administrative preparations. Sources close to the executive confirmed that cabinet chiefs clashed during a Wednesday preparatory meeting, setting the stage for an explosive confrontation at the executive table on Thursday.

Boris Dilliès Breaks Ranks and Confronts the Socialist Majority

During Thursday’s executive meeting, Boris Dilliès brought the underlying friction directly to the surface, labeling the funding dispute “the elephant in the dining room.” Having extended trust to the Socialist Party five months prior, the former mayor of Uccle expressed deep regret that his political investment had yielded little return. Dilliès voiced frustration at operating within a majority where recent polling trends appeared to favor the socialists at the direct expense of the liberals.

When the executive turned to the payment of salaries for the Services d’accompagnement social aux locataires sociaux (SASL) and the contested 131-million-euro SLRB tranche, the debate derailed completely. Socialists demanded the immediate release of the funds based on a weekend arbitration ruling, but Dilliès stood firm alongside his party president in opposing the transfer.

Liberal insiders insisted that the personal tenure of Lotfi Mostefa was no longer the primary hurdle. According to liberal sources, any individual judicial fallout would follow its own legal course, but the party required ironclad financial guarantees regarding broader reforms to the housing sector and the SLRB. “In reality, the socialists want to pocket government funds without reforming,” a party source noted, arguing that the unresolved dispute was poisoning unrelated dossiers and threatening a system-wide administrative freeze.

Mutual Recriminations and Collateral Damage Across Regional Files

The Socialist Party fiercely rejected the liberal framing, turning the blame back onto the MR leadership. Representatives for State Secretary for Housing Karine Lalieux accused Bouchez of political sabotage. “After damaging David Leisterh, he is damaging Boris Dilliès and plunging him into powerlessness,” socialist officials stated, characterizing the MR strategy as boxing in the dark while insisting that mounting regional bills would ultimately need to be paid.

Amid the crossfire, Budget Minister Dirk De Smedt (Anders) attempted to calm market and administrative nerves by pledging that the government would honor necessary payments incrementally to prevent the social housing sector from collapsing.

Yet the paralysis has already begun claiming collateral victims. Priority infrastructure files, including the contested financing for the renovation of the Avenue Louise tunnels, remain frozen as the parties dispute whether an actual consensus was ever reached during the conclave. For a regional executive barely settled into office, the deepening rift threatens to slow regional governance to a crawl.

More on this story: MR Blocks 131 Million for Social Housing Over Foyer Anderlechtois Leadership · Bart De Wever convenes federal ministers as budget talks resume