Münster, 5 November 2025 – The Volt council group has started the new term of office. At the inaugural council meeting, the organisational foundations for the work of the city council were laid down. Responsibilities and procedures are now clear, the specialist committees can be prepared and political work is gathering pace in an orderly way.
The group itself had already made itself operational at its own inaugural group meeting. Maren Berkenheide was elected group leader and spokesperson, and Helene Goldbeck deputy group leader. This ensures internal coordination, and the group can swiftly prepare decisions in the council and in the committees and boards.
“Today we laid the foundation for the next five years. The new remits of the committees help to assign priorities clearly,” says Maren Berkenheide. “Our goal is to complete the appointments in December so that the substantive work can begin at the start of 2026.”
Helene Goldbeck puts the structure into context: “In future, digitalisation will sit directly with finance and the economy. This brings budget issues, administrative modernisation and business perspectives to one table and speeds up decisions. It is equally right that housing is considered together with urban planning. This makes it possible to develop neighbourhoods in a more targeted way, stabilise procedures and hold talks with all stakeholders more efficiently.”
Sven Konopka emphasises the stance taken in the council: “The broad democratic consensus against right-wing extremism is a clear signal. The cooperation of the democratic parties (the Greens, CDU, SPD, Die Linke, Volt, FDP, Die Partei and ÖDP) shows that Münster is focused on solutions and is standing firmly against the AfD. This reliability on matters of substance is the basis for moving our city forward.”
An important signal at the start of the electoral term is Lord Mayor Tilman Fuchs taking office. The Volt council group congratulates him and is counting on close cooperation, particularly on digitalisation and the transformation of the administration. “What matters now are clear processes, user-friendly digital services and measurable progress in the city's departments,” says Berkenheide. “When the town hall, politicians and the wider community work well together, projects ranging from digital citizen services and open data applications to a modern, service-oriented administration make tangible progress.”
With today's council meeting, the structures for local political work are in place. Committee appointments will follow in December so that the committees and boards can start work at the beginning of 2026. Internally, the Volt group is already ready for this.
